TODDLERS AND TV

My little girl loves Baby Einstien and Elmo, I think both are educational and positive, I have no problem letting her watch a little T.V.  I know a lot of moms would disagree. Some think T.V. is bad and a form of a cheap babysitter, I think its a great babysitter…..joking! I actually watch the programs with her. I love watching her face when she sees Elmo come on or laugh when she thinks somthing is funny. I live in Mexico and I have a really hard time finding good DVDs in English. She is bilingual, but already has so many DVDs in Spanish. So, I started tryin to rmember some good kids showa and searching on line to see what was new in the world of kids TV. I grew up in Ontario and we used to have some really good shows a lot better then what I see out now.Here are my top ten personal favorites…

1. The Friendly Giant..look up, look way up! I loved this show and it was so simple, a friendly giant reading a story!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Siblings…to have another or not?

I already have 3 great kids! 2 teenagers 16 and 13 and then my little one who is only 15 months old. Most moms go through the phases with their kids around the same time, baby phase toddler preschooler ect…. I have 2 complete parenting phases happening all at the same time. It is so nice to watch the older ones interact with their baby sister, they enjoy her so much and she loves them a lot! But I also see how close my older two are and how they have each other through tough times, fun times , all times. In each other they have a confidant, and a buddy. I often wonder if my little one will miss out if I don’t have another one, someone close in age for her to grow up with. What do you think? Right now she is the center of attention and is smart as a whip hanging out with the big kids, but does she need a sidekick of  a similar age? Hmmm…..Should I or shouldn’t I? that is the question.

Montessori Floor Bed

This is our version and creation of a Montessori floor bed. When I first had my daughter we used a regular crib, she didn’t like her crib at all and would sleep much more peacefully and longer on my bed or even cushions on the floor. She woke up happier too if she wasnt in her crib, not crying I would hear her giggling or babbling away instead, I had never heard of a Montessori bed before I had only heard of the schools and really knew nothing about who they were or any of their methods. We were moving housing and I was searching on line for decorating ideas including ideas for my little girls new room, this is how I stumbled across the floor bed, I knew right away this would be great for my baby. I started searching for Montessori nurseries on-line and a lot of the ones I saw used a crib mattress, this was not going to work for us because one of the reason my little one didn’t like her crib was  that she loved to roll around and stretch out. I decided to design a double size Montessori bed that we could build. it turned out great! My little girl loves sleeping in and it looks so cute and princess like. it’s also very unique. I really love  a lot of the Montessori theories but have only just started to learn , I would love to hear from other Montessori moms or anyone else who used a floor bed instead of a crib.

Hush Little baby, for the whole night through….

On the 23 of this month my little angel turns 15 months. It has been such an adventure this past 15 months, watching her change and grow, It truly is amazing how fast it all happens.It has also been 15 months with not 1 full nights rest, Crazy right? By this age surely she should be sleeping through he night. She goes to bed around 9pm every night, we have established a bedtime routine, they say this helps with sleeping through night…..I have yet to belive this. Any where from midnight on she will wake up for a bottle. She is not up for long just chugs a 6-7 oz bottle of formula down and back to sleep. Again we visit around 4 30 am another bottle and sometime we like stay awake for up to an hour, then back to sleep. Wakes up around 730 am every day. I will not let her cry, I can’t do that. I have tried to sooth her back to sleep without giving her a bottle. She drinks the bottle so fast at night I figure she must really be hungry. She eats well through the day and I try to give her a healthy and filling meal for supper, but this bottle seems to be something she needs r in the middle of the night. I know the wont last forever ….It wont right??? If she really needs  a bottle or a cuddle in the middle of the night or a cuddle from mommy then so be it. However if any of you moms have some good tricks I would love to hear them. I should also mention that I use a Montessori bed with my little one not a crib. So mommies, let me know what you got….Im looking forward to receiving the golden key to a full nights sleep from a fellow mommy, Thanks!

Personal Trainers Work For The Devil

Extremely sore after my first experience with a personal trainer. First off I should start by saying that I am a big wimp, I am lazy and always try to find the easy quick fix first. Realizing now that there is no quick fix for weight loss, the gym seemed to be the way to go. It was however my last resort. I even bought some Slim With Out The Gym videos…….hmmmm, where are those anyway? If you read my post on Loosing The Baby Weight then you know I have been struggling with weight issues for a while now. Last night my sister meets me to go to the gym, our new hopefully lasting new routine. She was so excited to tell me that I was in for a treat because she had set up a personal trainer for us! YIPEE! Amanda, my little sister is about 5 foot 5 and a half maybe 105 pounds 30 years old, with new plastic boobs and a rockin body. I hate working out beside her at the gym in fact the her physic in general just irritates me, and lets not forget she is also a mommy! I can’t even say well wait to you have kids and then you’ll see how hard its, nope, nothing just have to except that she is just my constant reminder of all that I am not. Jokes aside I am really close with her and wouldn’t know what to do with out her, she is my rock, as I am hers. We arrive at the gym and sure enough there he, is Mr. Fit.  Amanda explains to me that this is the way to see results faster and she assures me I wont regret it. Work out begins, 5 minutes in I realize that I have a long, long journey a head of me. I had been to the gym before, I had workouts before or so |I thought…..apparently I was very wrong. I had never in my life worked out like this and if this was considered a real work out than I in fact had never done one. I always believed if I went on the treadmill or elliptical for 45min that was a great work out, weights are for guys who wanted to build muscle……are they not? Mr. fit explained to me just how important weights would be in order for me to reach my desired goals. Low weights, high reps in order to burn fat and tone muscle. Ok, good tip! I had no idea how to use these weights and weight machines but Mr. Fit was guiding me through each and every one, while watching me and adjusting my arms when he felt they needed adjusting. We did arms last night. I was actually sweating while doing  weights and my chicken wings were shaking ambarassingly through most of my sets , but eventually it was over. Thank God for that. then I was told it was on to cardio! The elliptical it was, 30 min later I was officially done. Sweating my fat but off, hopefully I threw my towel in the gym hamper and left the gym. After this episode I’m riding home in my sisters Jeep and I get the worst toe cramp I have ever had in my life, my foot resting on her dash-board screaming like a child. Amanda is laughing so hard In fear an accident coming. After the cramp settled and we were quietly absorbed in our own little thought , I looked at Amanda and said… You know they are really coming out with some great styles for the Plus Size Women! She howled with laughter yet once again. Tonight we do legs, and I am worried and excited all at the same time. My sister is right about one thing Mr. fit is going to allow me to see results much faster he makes me accountable and that is good for someone like me. I am sick of having flabby chicken wing arms and rumpley cottage cheese legs and I think Mr. fit really could be the answer.

Beauty Pageants for Children

Are these pageants for the kids or the moms? I was just reading an article about the TLC program Tots and Tiaras and it made me wonder  why parents do this. this is not intended to offend anyone, I just don’t see how this is at all positive? The vast majority of opinions from psychologists seem to say that these are in no way good for the healthy upbringing of children. They seem so superficial to me, and send a bad message… Lets completely make you look a lot older than you actually are, use a ton of products and get you up on a stage in front of people who are going to judge you. It is all so fake. I try to teach my children that everyone is special in their own way, while I of course I want my kids to look good and I dress my baby in ways that I think she looks cute. Where do you draw the line? How much is too much? We live in a world where there is already so much pressure on looks, are you too fat, are you too skinny, is your hair style the right one?  Why put this kind of pressure on a young child? Childhood is suppose to be fun with no worries. Life is hard enough and these kids will all face enough pressures in their adult lives, wich is why i belive it is just crazy to add this stress and pressure in childhood. parents are suppose to make their children feel safe, happy loved, good about themselves while teaching them values and morals. We are suppose to do this because we love them and want them to grow into well-rounded, kind and generally good people.I am sure I will get a lot of slack for this post, but its my opinion. I look forward to reading your comments about this.

Loosing the baby weight

Can I still call it baby weight 15 months later? I have struggled with weight for more than half of my life. After my first 2 kids I was overweight for years. Eventually I did get to my goal weight, when my youngest was 10. That latest about a year and a half, a year and a half of finally being able to go the beach without a cover up, shopping was fun and I felt good about myself. Then I got pregnant again. I was so excited about having another baby but the truth be told I was petrified about getting fat, again. I know, vain. But that really was my main fear. So, I vowed that this time would be different. i would eat right, excercise throughout the pregnancy. This time I would do better. This dream latest until I was about 15 weeks pregnant and I realized I was gaining too much weight too fast. The pizza, the late night snacks and the complete lack of excercise were showing their ugly face in fatness. on the bright side my baby was doing great, I was going to have a little girl. Plan B kicked in…..relax and enjoy the pregnancy. I told myself that I would get right back on track as soon as she was born.  My little angel was born October 23 2010….and yup, still haven’t lost the weight. I can give you a ton of  excuses, I have 3 kids, I work full-time, I am tired, my relationship has not been going well at all….blah blah blah. But if I am really honest with myself, there will be no easy way to do this, no perfect time to start. Life is full of surprises and challenges and moms are busy. I often would look at other moms, skinny moms and wonder why can it not be like this for me? Women all over the world eat right and excercise even moms, so if they can do why can’t I? the reality is, I can! So last week I took the first step towards skinny street, I went to the gym with my sister. I got  a membership and went 4 times my first week. this is week 2 and its been a bit difficult. Monday, worked all day and had a dentist in the evening finally home just before 9pm. Tuesday had to work late didn’t get home until 8 30 pm. Wednesday, again worked late and didn’t get home until after 8 pm. Needless to say no gym. today is Thursday, actually had an early day at work and will be going to the gym tonight. I could so just give up right now, my schedule just seems way too hectic. However, I am determined to make this work, spent this afternoon playing with my baby and talking to the older kids about life…tonight gym with my sister! i am feeling really positive that one day soon I will be able to post a blog titled….How I lost The Baby Weight. wish me luck!

Hello Mommies

I am new to blogging , but I think it will be a fun experience and a great way to connect with other moms and share stories.I am a very busy mom to 3 great kids aged 16 years, 13years and 14 months. 2 girls and a boy. I am very lucky to have such amazing kids. I also work full-time. I am from Canada but we live in Mexico now, life is definitely and adventure. I am a very unconventional mommy with a lot of opinions but I just want to be the best mom I can be and enjoy life to the fullest. I am really looking forward to sharing my crazy days and experiences with you!