Right now I am sitting at my dining room table, trying to figure out how in the world I am going to get this house packed up. I can’t get the dishes done without Judah running out the backdoor, let alone do work where I need to be sorting and organizing and getting rid of things I don’t want or need to take to our new house. He makes the smallest task next to impossible.

On Monday I was in the kitchen, doing dishes (which are endless when you don’t have a dishwasher) and he went outside to the backyard. I had him leave the back door open so I could hear him, but not 5 minutes later, he was nowhere to be found. John and I both kind of freaked out. Our yard is fenced, but it backs up to an alley- could someone have taken him from the alley? The worst things go through your mind.

After about 10 minutes of running around like crazy people (our neighbor across the street helped too), we found him. He was in the garage, which we both thought was locked. I had my phone in my hand, ready to call 911. It was scary shit.

I cannot take my eyes off this kid for a second. Which means I get absolutely nothing done until after the boys go to bed, and by then I am completely exhausted and ready to put my feet up and drink a beer and cruise Facebook.

It’s frustrating to live like this.

We move in a month, so adding extra locks and alarms to our doors is silly. Telling him “no” is useless. Putting him on time out is laughable. We have taken away toys and privileges and everything we can think of, it doesn’t stop the naughtiness. And honestly, I can deal with all of those things as long as I am not having to worry about his safety. Within 30 minutes of getting up in the morning, he has escaped to the backyard. I don’t have time to deal with that when I am trying to get the boys out the door to school.

So back to packing- I have no idea how this is going to get done. I feel like we need a few kid free weekends where we can get the majority of it done, because staying up until midnight, packing by myself doesn’t sound like a good time!

The countdown has started- we close on the 31st!

I’ll be in the corner, distracting myself with paint chips and Pinterest, trying to forget that I have a laundry list of things to do.

I *wish* I had written this, a) because I would love to only have 20 pounds left to lose and b) because I am pretty sure I completely ignored the fact that I was due for my annual exam last month!  Looks like I need to get a handle on my schedule!  My friend Sam hits it right on the head though- working out doesn’t have to happen in a gym, there are plenty of activities, especially now that the snow has melted and the sun is shining, that you can do with your kids, without leaving your neighborhood.

Recently I sat in my doctor’s office bemoaning the 10 pounds (okay, closer to 20 pounds) of baby weight that hasn’t budged in the last 4 years. She didn’t offer any magic pills, or even much sympathy—exercise was her answer.

It’s not that I don’t want to exercise. Like every other mom I want to be healthy, lose some weight, have strong bones, and look great. And, no, I don’t sit around all day on the couch eating tubs of chocolate ice-cream.

The truth is, whether it’s an excuse or obstacle, like many stay-at-home moms, my biggest problem is logistics. It can be hard to find a way to exercise with kids swarming at your knees every waking hour. How can you get a free 30-minutes a day? Where can you exercise? Who will watch the kids?

If you are determined to start exercising, these practical ideas are for you.

Exercise in the gym—the gym has many advantages. It’s air conditioned, they have showers and amenities. They have great cardio and weight equipment. Of course, the big logistical issue is what to do with the kids. Here are some ideas to make the gym workable for you:

1. Pick a gym with free childcare. Make sure it is clean and well staffed so you’ll be comfortable leaving your kids. Don’t worry, they’ll have a lot of fun while you work out.
2. Ask grandma to watch the kids for a couple hours three mornings a week.
3. Join a 24-hour gym so you can workout in the early morning or evening hours when dad can watch the kids.

Exercise at home—there are many options for working out at home. You can try yoga, use a tae-bo DVD or invest in an elliptical machine, treadmill, or weight lifting equipment. Not having to leave the house to exercise can be appealing because it eliminates the need for a babysitter. However, you still have to find the time to do it and take safety precautions.

1. Exercise when your kids are in bed—early evening or morning often work well. If you have young children, nap-time might be good.
2. Secure exercise equipment to make it safe for children and prevent accidents.
3. Motivate yourself with some great music.

Exercise with the kids—sometimes you have no choice, but to just let your kids tag along. Instead of letting that discourage you from exercising find ways to include them. This is a great way to encourage lifelong healthy exercise habits and combat childhood obesity.

1. During your kid’s soccer, baseball, basketball—and myriad of other practices—get moving too. Volunteer as a coach or walk around the fields during practice time.
2. Throw your kid’s tricycles, bicycles, and helmets into the van and head for a local bike path or a high school track. If your kids are young, pick a small track where you can easily monitor them from any position.
3. Walk the neighborhood with your kids. For younger children use jogging strollers and encourage older children to walk. Put some music on their iPods to get them excited and moving. Or let them dribble their soccer ball or basketball along the way.

We all know the doctor is right—we need to get exercise if we want to lose weight. Even if you don’t have pounds to lose, exercise is critical to keeping healthy and having a positive outlook on life. I know it’s easier said than done, but as stay-at home moms we need to find time to prioritize ourselves and exercise regularly.

Start small. Try some of these ideas. Be creative and flexible. Just get exercising!

Disclosure: This is a guest post.

Spring is *finally* upon us here in Minnesota (I hope I didn’t just ensure another snowstorm!), and it’s time to open the windows and clear the air.  It’s also time for us to start packing to move and doing that one last clean-up before we turn in our keys.  I am hoping that the boys might be more helpful in this endeavor, they are usually content undoing the things I do- unfolding clothes, duping out toys…you name it, they can make a bigger mess than when I started!  I know I’m not the only one who will find this list of tips for Spring cleaning with kids, useful!

When mom reaches for the broom and dustpan, children often want to scamper in the opposite direction. It’s likely they have their assigned household chores, but they don’t do them without a little grumbling. So, how can a busy mom get kids involved with this year’s biggest cleaning challenge? Just sprinkle a little fun on this season’s cleaning and you’ll be surprised just how much you can get your rambunctious children to accomplish.

Be Age Appropriate

It’s important to choose chores for your children that are age appropriate. You don’t want to ask a four year old to wash the dishes, unless you enjoy the taste of wet crumbs. Instead, ask a four year old to do easy pick-up jobs. Chances are, she’s already skilled at putting books away, so have her do that, while you work on something nearby. This will get her chatting with you and the work will go by with less fuss.

For older children, it may be more difficult to get them enthusiastic about menial chores. It’s this time of year they need to deep clean their bedrooms, making sure to go through old clothing and items. A great way to get older kids to enjoy this process is to offer them a reward. Let them know if they get rid of some clothes that don’t fit, you’ll reward them with a t-shirt from their favorite store in the mall. You can search for an online coupon and codes for free shipping, in order to save money on this purchase.

Make it Fun

If you want your daughter to donate some old books, ask her to choose the ones she wants to keep and which she’d prefer to designate for the less fortunate. Explain to her that a little girl, just like her, will be inheriting her old toys, books, and clothing. Let her know it’s rewarding to give a gift to someone less fortunate. Plus, she’s making room for all the new toys and books she’ll be getting in the months to come. Make sure to bring her along when you make that trip to the thrift store.

Certain jobs can be made extra fun, by employing some neat tricks. If you’re looking to clean your hardware floors, why not have the kids strap on some old socks and “skate” around? Follow your little skaters around with a trash bag, throwing out the dust as they collect it. This game is a great way to get kids excited about cleaning the floor. Plus, it is one less thing you have to do.

Here are some other games to make cleaning more entertaining:

• Expiration-date detective

In this game, children must locate the expiration date on foods in the cupboards and refrigerator. If they find something has expired, they get to throw it out.

• Follow the leader

The leader gets to lead the way through the house, making special stops to clean up. Taking turns who gets to be the leader ensures nothing will go un-cleaned.

• The sorting game

Sorting games are perfect for dealing with un-matched socks, toys, books, movies, and more. Children are encouraged to race to make their sock matches, while employing a slower approach to decide which movies and things are worth keeping.

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a negative experience. Children are encouraged to get involved in a positive way. If you’re planning on having a garage sale after everything is said and done, promise them they can keep the profits for any of the items they’re willing to part with. This is just another example of how exciting you can make spring cleaning for kids.

Disclosure: This is a guest post.

I seriously need it to be Friday.  And I need Friday to be GOOD.

This week we had…

Monday, which brought clarity to the fact that you should never trust someone who switches between his landlord, investor, and businessman hats so frequently.  Also: people who think the phrase “I’m putting my (fill in the blank) hat on” somehow softens the blow, are kidding themselves.  Also: anyone who evicts you so he can have a place to live when he sells his house is kind of an (insert choice word here).  At least those were the sentiments of all the people who read my post on Tuesday.

Which brings me to Tuesday.  Tuesday had me bringing Judah in to have an “unofficial” evaluation/ observation to rule out any red flags for Autism.  If you’ve been down this road, you know how difficult that is.  Thankfully, he is just crazy busy and challenging, no red flags found.  Also: we toured, made an offer and had our offer accepted on a house.  We are (cross your fingers) going to be home owners.  Finally!

Wednesday I had two IEP meetings scheduled back to back in the afternoon.  IEP meetings usually come with a lot of anxiety for a lot of parents.  I generally welcome the chance to chat with the boys teams and make plans for next year.  This year, I figured there would be issues with the transition/ transportation between the boys day treatment and school.  I was correct.  We are pretty much up shit creek a this point and we are seriously contemplating pulling them out of school and just doing day treatment.  The alternative does absolutely nothing to serve our boys- it only serves the two different facilities. It’s funny that after the last 10 days of agonizing over keeping them in this school district, how easily I am willing to walk away from their current school.  I’m hoping I can get past this annoyance in the coming weeks and I hope that we can come to a better solution.  I still can’t believe that *this* is what we have to quibble over each year.

Thursday, well, Thursday brought snow.

It’s April 18th.  This is the third snowfall we’ve had in a week.  I know that non-natives think Minnesota is under snow for 300 days a year, but I’m here to tell you, this is not the norm.  I am officially ready for Spring!

Also, with the craziness of the week, my house is a crazy mess.  Dishes are piled in the sink, the laundry room is filled with moving boxes and laundry, the dining room and living room are an inch deep with toys and tools.  Judah won’t stop escaping out the back door and he pooped on the floor TWICE today.  Because of all of this, I have a short fuse.  I feel like I’m constantly yelling and screaming and I just want to crawl into bed and wake up to a clean house.  But that isn’t going to happen.  I will be up hours after they go to bed (they will still be up at 11, mark my words), trying to get some semblance of order and I will wake up exhausted, and crabby, and start this whole thing over, with a shorter fuse.

So, Friday…our INSPECTION day!  It seriously better be a good one.  At least this weekend won’t be lost to driving around looking at houses!

It has been a really, really, really, exhausting and LONG 10 days.

Two Saturdays ago we were informed that our neighbors were putting their house on the market.  It’s totally gorgeous, in a desirable neighborhood, in a seller’s market, so it of course sold in about 16 seconds.  Our landlord emailed us letting us know about this.  Also that he was “just brainstorming” and wondering what he could get for our place.  Yogi Dad, trying to make sure we would not be homeless, asked if we could change our lease to a 1-year (we hadn’t signed one yet and had been toying with the idea of looking for a house later this year).  Our landlord said no, apologized for needing to put on his “investor hat” and that was that.  The clock was ticking.  How much time we had, we still didn’t know.

We kind of went into panic mode and immediately sought out a mortgage broker that did not work for Wells Fargo*.  Within 24 hours we were approved for a mortgage and were on the hunt.

Naively, thinking that he has a vested interest in getting us into a house so he can sell this one, we hired our landlord to be our realtor.  Our parents were all kind of giving us the “are you sure you want to do that?” talk, but up until this moment, we hadn’t had a bad experience with our landlord, and anyways, he kept telling us he wasn’t going to “kick us out”, so we figured it was a win-win.  He was available at a moments notice for showings, which is really helpful when there are 6 houses for sale and 9,784 people trying to buy them.  This is a seriously bad market for buyers right now.

We took our list of houses we had to choose from and would drive around, culling them based on location- busy streets, no driveway and being next to a crack house, an auto shop, or train tracks were all deal breakers.  On Monday (or was it Tuesday?), I went and looked at 3 houses with Judah.

One house stood out and after John and my dad looked at it, we put in an offer.  They countered, we countered back, they wouldn’t budge, then a new TISH report showed a laundry list of problems we didn’t want to deal with.  We talked it over, we talked it over with our landlord/realtor.  He offered to let us live rent free for 2 months and guaranteed our deposit back to give us more cash up front.  The kicker was we had to get out by June 2nd because him and his wife were thinking our house would be a perfect place to come home to with their newborn twins (they are selling their house as well).

June 4th is the boys last day of school, no way am I moving them out before then.

It was at that point I kind of lost it.  I needed a break from the pressure- no one buys a house in week one after looking at 3 houses.  We walked away from our offer the next morning, and that was that.  John made plans to look at houses in a different part of the city on Sunday while I was at my moms with all my aunts and girl cousins and our kids.  He was given the hard sell on a house we both had absolutely no interest in.  I was really starting to losing my patience.

That night, or landlord/ realtor asked what I was looking for in a house.

So I told him:

If I’m buying an old house in the city, the dream with be a Victorian or a Tudor.  After that I would be happy with a 1.5 story built in the 40′s or 50′s- still charming in it’s own way.  Wood floors throughout are at the top of our list- if there is carpet, knowing there are hardwoods underneath is enough for me.  Safety things that are top of mind because of the flight risk with the boys- not a busy street, not immediately adjacent to a busy street, fenced yard, a driveway is incredibly helpful but I know it’s not the norm in most neighborhoods.  At least .12 on the lot and if there is a claw foot tub, that would be icing on the cake.

We didn’t hear back until the next morning.

When were informed, by email, that we had 60 days to vacate our house as per the terms of our lease.  Also:

I am sorry to “spring” this on you, but in order for me to be able to possibly sell it/re-rent it**
or live in it…it needs to be empty…

After much thought and discussion with my wife and business partners***/friends, it is in my best interest
to make it official.

I completely understand if this situation makes it difficult to work with me for a potential home purchase,
so I am willing to cancel the representation contract that John signed on Friday morning…there is and was never
any compensation for this representation contract.

My head pretty much exploded at that point.  I don’t think I stopped crying for more than an hour at a time the whole day and our world was pretty much turned upside down.  Did I mention Judah was being evaluated for the red flags of Autism today?****  Yeah.  It was not the day to mess with me.

Yogi Dad hired a new realtor about 10 minutes after getting this email while I hyperventilated in the bathroom.

Fast forward 24 hours and we are currently knee deep in an offer on a house in a neighborhood near our old stomping grounds.  We are up against one other offer and the ticking of the clock definitely has us on edge.

I understand that it’s “business” and he had to put on his “investor hat”, but nothing about this situation is ethical- it’s like he saw what we were looking for, realized it probably wasn’t going to happen before June, and threw in the towel.  He needed a place to put his family when he sold his own house, so we were going to be out in June come hell or high water.

I’ve had a lot of anger the past 2 days, I don’t know when that will subside.  You can guarantee that all of the professionals we are working with are aware of the circumstances of our situation, and I just have to think, Karma is a bitch.

In the meantime…any good thoughts, prayers and crossed limbs are welcome!  We have 12 days to have an offer accepted to be out on time.  (I realize that is a completely ridiculous request considering my statement about Karma, but SERIOUSLY!)

Also: I am LOVING our new team- they came highly recommended and are taking great care of us, which is helpful considering my completely emotional state right now.

UPDATE: As I was writing the title of this, we got the call, our offer was accepted!  We bought a house!  In the city!  In NORDEAST!  So many things are exciting about that for me.

*It took Wells Fargo over 6 weeks of jumping through hoops over the holidays to deny us a loan- it was an experience I don’t recommend to anyone.
**I actually just noticed that “re-renting” it is an option…why would he kick us out to re-rent it- SERIOUSLY?
***Interesting, considering he told yogi Dad the night before that one of his business partners told him to stop freaking out his tenants with his “brainstorming”.
****He is fine-not showing any signs. Just high strung and crazy/normal.

Having three young children, two with Autism, I know the importance of having a pediatrician who you can trust, someone who listens to your concerns, respects your parenting values and is open to how you deal with health and wellness issues (Rush to the doctor at the first sign of a sniffle?  A mix of Eastern and Western medicine?).  It can be really difficult, especially as a first time parent (with 24-hour access to Dr. Google) to know what to expect and how to make sure you are heard by the person you have chosen to care for your kids.   Here is another great guest post with some tips on what pediatricians can do for you.

*****

We all need medical doctors to really maximize our health, and our newborn babies do too. Pediatricians are doctors and health specialists who treat newborns and oversee babies’ health in general, and they help you with great parenting decisions as they concern your child.

Newborn babies are prone to a lot of health risks because of their need to adapt to new living conditions, but with the help of a qualified pediatrician you could help your baby to pull through this new life adjustment period without serious consequences. With a good and understand family pediatrician by your side, any nursing mother could always heave a sigh of relief over her newborn baby.

Just as you would trust that your family doctor knows what he is doing when taking care of you or administering treatments, you must equally trust your pediatrician to take good care of your baby or you might have conflict of trusts and this is not good. However, you are always free to question your pediatrician if there’s anything you don’t understand or even change to another pediatrician as long as he is qualified and you can trust his medical skills with children. But when you can rely on the qualifications, experience and medical expertise of your pediatrician, you would trust that you child is in safe hands.

As an expectant or nursing mother, you must understand that you can barely do without the professional oversight of a qualified pediatrician. Once your baby is on the way you need to find doctors who you can stick with throughout the duration of your pregnancy, having 1 doctor see you through the entire process is a way to relieve stress and have a pediatrician who knows and cares for you. For example, if you live in LA then stick to one pediatrician in Los Angeles. This same doctor can also serve as the primary physican for your child past pregnancy. Always having the same doctor allows them to be better equipped to assess, detect, prevent, and manage the total health and development of your baby. Although there are times when you might have to quickly call up your pediatrician, you must always be settled that your child is in good hands.

Basically, pediatricians diagnose and treat your baby when he/she is not feeling too good, and your pediatrician also takes appropriate steps to detect and manage any early signs if there’s any likelihood that your child might have behavioral and developmental problems as they grow. Do not forget that your pediatrician is not only concerned about the illnesses or injuries of your child, he is also concerned about their behavioral and social developments and interactions as they grow into adolescents and young adults. In this case, there would be early detections of syndromes like autism, speech problems, and social relationships.

All these underline the fact that you must always trust your pediatrician, ask relevant questions and take him up on treatment options, build a relationship with him, and help him to treat and oversee your child’s growth and development better. As nursing mothers, you must also understand that pediatricians help out with how to better breastfeed your child, what recommended medications to use, how and when to introduce solid foods, sleep hygiene and other necessary things that would help you better take care of your baby.

As a young mother, you must allow your pediatrician to really help since it’s apparent that your spouse would be out at work most of the time and trusts that you watch after your child through the assistance of your pediatrician.

Disclosure: this is a guest post.

We are 8 (Or is it 7? 9? I’ve lost track!) weeks into our gluten-free diet and I have to say, I have a very difficult time packing lunches.  Thankfully, my favorite  guest poster has a few new ideas that I will definitely be putting into play in the coming week!

*****

Having a balanced healthy diet is important for anybody. But more than anybody, your children deserve the most attention when it comes to diet. If you’re not focusing on giving them healthy food, then you’ll find that it will affect their health in more than one way. Of course there are times and events such as the Super Bowl when the whole family gets together and enjoys different types of foods. However, what about the regular days when your children don’t have much time and are running late for school? Or when you have to give them a quick healthy snack? In the following article we look into how a few fruit snack ideas that your children will love…

#1: Fruit Sandwiches

One of the best ways to create a healthy, fruity snacks for the kids is to make some fruit sandwiches. What you can do is use slices of pears or apples along with some low fat cheese to create a sandwich that is not only healthy but is also delicious. Children love snacks that they can have on the go and such fruit sandwiches work great! You can even pack them up for their school lunch.

#2: Fruit and Yogurt

This snack is one of the best ways to beat the summer heat for your kids! As it’s not only cool and refreshing, but also very appetizing. By simply dipping fresh fruits in your child’s favorite “low fat” yogurt you’ll create a snack that goes well with his or her taste buds. If you want you can also go for flavored yogurt that goes along with your chosen fruit. The idea here is to give your kid the goodness of dairy along with

#3: Smoothies

How can we forget smoothies when we’re discussing about fruit snacks? Smoothies are easy to make and they don’t take much time. Children love smoothies because they taste great and can be gulped down quick. They make a good snack that can be served at any time of the day when the child is tired or exhausted, and needs a boost of energy.

#4: Fun Fruit Salad

Salads are popular for their nutrition value, so why not give them to your kids and add more healthy goodness to their diet? You don’t have to make the whole salad making process complicated. Sometimes even a simple fruit salad goes a long way in delivering that much needed punch. For example, you can serve fresh fruits that is dipped in salad dressings such as balsamic vinegar and poppy seed. Don’t limit yourself – experiment as you go.

#5: Fruit Chunks

Is your kid always in a rush and doesn’t like staying back to eat a complete meal? If yes then it’s a good idea to serve him/her frozen fruit chunks such as banana slices, grapes, watermelon, blueberries, etc. This way, your kid won’t have to miss out on the much needed daily nutrition.

Conclusion

All in all, your kids deserve all the attention from you in terms of eating a healthy diet. By creating healthy fruit snacks for them you’ll be adding more nutrition and taste to their daily diet. And of course, your children can repay your efforts by buying some quality Mother’s Day chocolate for you – a perfect way to say thanks to mom for all the years of devotion and hard work! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and try the above fruit ideas and let your children know that they are special by caring for them.

Disclosure: this is a guest post.

1 in 88.

1 in 54.

1 in 50.

These are the numbers that have swirled around the Autism community for the past year or so.  That 1 in 54 is important to me because it most closely represents us- 1 in 54 boys will be diagnosed with Autism.  At least that is the finding from a study of 8-year-olds in 2008.

That 1 in 50?  That is from the most recent study.

1 in 50 kids has autism, according to a 2012 study.  Of course, this study, along with all of the other studies, has it’s detractors.  But really, 1 in 50 doesn’t seem too out of the ballpark to me.

So, what can you do?

Well, for one, if you have an infant or a toddler, and you have a nagging feeling that something is up- even if it’s “just” a speech delay…do me a favor and call Early Intervention.

If you have a friend who is worried about their child- let’s say he isn’t acquiring language at the same rate of his peers. (I’m using language because it’s usually the thing that triggers and evaluation, yet most people blow it off.)
Please, do NOT say any of these things:

- Boys talk later than girls
- He has an older sibling/ twin who communicates for him, it’s OK
- You always meet his needs for him, he doesn’t *need* to talk
- He was premature, he will talk later
- My cousin’s uncle didn’t talk until he was 4 and now he’s a lawyer…

Instead, LISTEN.  I have a son who was a late talker and I have twins who lost language and became non-verbal.  The gut feeling was completely different.  The fear and worry was different.  I knew pretty quickly that something was not right with the twins, and I didn’t worry at all with my youngest.  It’s different.

If you have been in this place of worry, if you have ever called Early Intervention, if you have ever had a child diagnosed with Autism or another special need- please, SHARE your resources.  Support a mom or dad when they have worries, do not blow them off.  You should be their first shoulder to lean on, you have been in their shoes!

It is a really isolating place to be when the mothers around you abandon you in your greatest time of need.  Telling someone not to worry is the equivalent of telling a mom to sit down and shut up.  Sometimes things are not OK.  Sometimes things warrant a professional opinion.

Why are we so quick to tell moms that everything is fine?  Is it because we are afraid we are missing something with our own kids?  Is it because their fear is also our fear and we desperately don’t want to peek behind the curtain and deal with what might be waiting for us?

Don’t wait.  Don’t tell others to wait.  Resources are available and completely irreplaceable.  You do not want to “wait it out”- waiting is just wasting time.  The only thing we have in this fight is early intervention, the key word being EARLY.

And one more thing- if there is a mom you know who is taking steps to figure out what is going on with her child, don’t tell her that she should stop looking.  Don’t tell her that she can instead fix her child with oils (or herbs, diet, a warm bath before bedtime and spinning around 6 times upon waking up in the morning)- it only serves to prolong the inevitable, which in some cases takes away free and affordable supports.

This isn’t going away.

As a baby name fiend, one of the discussions that always comes up when talking about unique names or spellings of names, is the ability to find your name printed on all of the gift shop souvenirs.  Kids love to see their name printed on something official- I know I did!  My name was fairly common in the 80′s and 90′s, but not so common that I could easily find my name on a plastic license plate or pencil set.  My sisters had an even harder time.  I’m so glad we have come to a point where it’s easy enough to get great personalized gifts- with any name!  My friend Sam has compiled a nice list of some great places to get personalized gifts for the kids in your life.

*****

It’s no secret that kids love getting gifts and there are a lot of places locally as well as online where you can buy pretty much anything you want for your kid.  Most of them however will probably be forgotten in a few months’ time because while they might be the latest and greatest thing at the moment, they probably lack one important component, which is personality.  Giving a kid a gift that is personalized just for them will mean much more to them in the long run than any toy you buy from the store.  Luckily, there are tons of personalized gifts to choose from.

Pretty much any personalized kids gift from Personal Creations will do quite nicely.  They have quite a large selection of various toys and items that can be customized and personalized for kids and they’re fairly inexpensive.  If nothing else, it will give you a lot of ideas for what to look for when it comes getting them something with a little more personality.

If you have a daughter, personalized jewelry is always the way to go.  Pretty much everyone has walked into one of those gift stores and looked for their name on the rack of necklaces and begged their parents to buy one.  These days you can get more than just necklaces personalized – there are bracelets, charms, and even earrings.  And you can get them customized almost any way you please whether it be with her initials or her full name or even her birthday.  When it comes to young girls, this is definitely the way to go.

Boys don’t get left out of the personalized gifts either.  You can pick up personalized backpacks, duffels, and even sports equipment these days.  And very similar to the aforementioned jewelry, you can customize these to say pretty much anything you want including your son’s birthday or name and because these are typically printed on canvases of some kind, you might even be able to add pictures or graphics.  Backpacks are always a good idea for any kid because all of us took pride in our backpacks when we were younger – imagine how they’ll feel when everyone realizes that it was personalized just for them.

If you’re looking for personalized toys, those exist as well.  These days it’s possible to get dolls made to look however you’d like them, which is especially nice if your daughter has a preference or wants one to look like her.  If you’d really like to get intricate, you can send the maker a photo and they’ll try to make it resemble it as closely as possible.  There are also toy trucks out there that can be customized to your specifications.  You’ll be able to not only choose the style but also the color and if there are any decals or graphics on them – your son would more than likely be fairly pleased if his new toy had his name proudly written on the side.

The fact of the matter is that personalized gifts go over much better when it comes to kids and in general, they’ll like them a lot more.  You can get pretty much anything you want customized these days from jewelry to clothing to toys and there are a myriad of ways these customizations can be done.  If you’re looking for a good gift for your kids, personalized is your best bet.

Disclosure: this is a guest post.

There are few things that irk me more than when a pregnant woman complains of morning sickness and someone tells her to eat a Saltine before she gets out of bed in the morning.

Is there anyone in the world that does not know this trick?  If you have read a book, seen a movie, or watched television with a sick pregnant woman in it, you would know that the number one piece of advice given to pregnant women to stave off morning sickness, is a cracker.

Seriously- everyone knows about the damn crackers (not to mention the ginger, the ginger ale, and possibly the Seabands).  Let’s stop with the obvious advice- this is 2013, this is advanced parenting here people- we have the internet!

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest.

Wanna know what sparked it?

I was on Pinterest the other day and I saw a pin for “How to have a Napping House”.  Sounds good to me- I want to know!  What is the secret?  I have a 2-year old who is refusing to nap, and I am in hell.  I want a Napping House!

It must be something REALLY good.

Tranquilizers in sippy cups?

Surely not.

But seriously- what is the secret?  How do I make my two-year-old maniac take a nap?  He obviously *needs* a nap.  I know *I* need a nap (or at least I want one).  At least I want time by myself with no kids to tend to- at least for an hour, more if possible.

So, what is the secret to having a napping house?
.
.
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Quiet time.

You heard me.

Quiet time.

Like, put your kids in their rooms and tell them they don’t have to sleep, they just have to play quietly…because it’s “quiet time”.

Are you effing kidding me?

QUIET TIME?

That’s the secret?

I never thought of that.  Actually, yes, yes I DID think of that.  And so did every parent, ever, in the whole world.

How to have a Napping House my ass.

Anyone have a different way to approach this?  Because seriously, momming a two-year old who doesn’t take naps suuucks.

What is the piece of advice you roll your eyes at because it’s so obvious?

* Tell your kids no; tell your kids yes; kids will eat when they are hungry; put healthy snacks out for them to choose from; play outside; play inside, etc. etc. etc…