Wordless Wednesday- Silly Boys

In the Land Of Enchantment

So we made it safely to New Mexico. The flight was scary and no I don't have any advice or tricks because nothing really worked for me. It was just about survival on my end. Yes we made it all in one piece, but I felt like I was on an episode of Man Vs. Wild the whole flight. I wanted to dig a hole and curl up in it when I got back to my parents house. I now know I will never ever ever ever ever ever ever fly with those boys by myself again. I say that now but it will happen again. At least now I am fully prepared...well now fully but pretty darn close.

New Mexico has been nice. I met my new future sister-in-law and I love her to pieces. I am very excited to have her as a sister and to welcome her into our very nutty family. Zack is having a blast and thank goodness he hasn't been too upset about not being with Daddy. He will ask for him at bedtime but it is surprising how understanding he is when I say "Daddy will be with us soon, we just have to wait" he will say something like "night night Daddy" or "I miss you Daddy" and then go to sleep. I let him know that Daddy can hear him all the way in Virginia. So hopefully he understands.

I am going to go curl up in my hole now and get some rest. Miss all my east coast friends. You all hold a special place in my heart.

Zack-isms

While watching Lion King...

Zack- "I like hyenas"

Me- "Why?"

Zack-"They're funny"

Me- "Aren't they on Scars side?"

Zack-"No Scar washed brain" (meaning brain wash)

Me-"They don't seem very nice"

Zack- "They hungry mama! Be nice!"

 Oh Zack always finding the good in everyone and paying to much attention to our documentaries about war and brainwashing.

Educated Nurser

We have sure come a long way in the blogging world. At first this blog was to post pictures and updates on Zacks development so Steven could be involved while on deployment. When he got home it became the blog for our family to stay updated. It has just grown into so much more than just a family blog. It gives me great joy to know that my posts are helping moms out there.

I was browsing through old posts today and came across this gem...

"Well tonight was Zacks first feeding on formula. I'm really in a way kinda bummed about the whole thing. My breast milk is drying up so his pediatrician told me that I need to start weaning him to formula this week. It is such a let down on my part. But then again no matter how much i know breastfeeding is good for him and all that. I really wasn't enjoying seeing him hungry after feedings. He just wasn't very satisfied at all from it. And then pumping was depressing i could only produce an ounce from both breasts together. It just isn't working. I'm just wondering how much hes going to get during the day while i feed him formula at night he will be getting the breast during the day just to get him used to it. And next week i will start taking away another feeding everyday so by the end of 2 weeks he will be only on formula. Gosh why does it hurt so bad? I feel like I'm letting him and myself down. Plus formula is so expensive but he has to eat right?! Right....so i need to do this for him.

Anyways.....well he took the formula great so far. I gave him a bottle of Enfamil milk based formula after his bath tonight. So far so good hes sleeping and no spit up and he burped like a champ throughout the whole feeding. Of course he might have some gas the next few days but his doc said that was normal when switching to formula and to give enfamil a week and if he's still not getting used to it then to call him and he will give another suggestion.

Ill keep you guys (whoever reads this) updated on his formula adventure.
Much love"

This was titled Time For Formula. Not only was my grammar terrible but I was really a very uneducated Mom back then. If you know me you know that I am pro breastfeeding 110% I believe every Mom can breastfeed and if they put in the effort and dedication it will happen. I have friends who will pump for hours everyday just so their babies can get enough. Of course I understand there are certain circumstances that call for supplementation. But with my situation it wasn't like that at all.

As you can read above I talk about him being always hungry after feedings or as I remember it soon after like within an hour. If I had been more educated on the subject I would have known that this was called cluster feeding. My pediatrician immediately assumed my healthy weight baby wasn't getting enough because of his behavior. They put me on vitamins to increase my supply but I was already switching him to formula and cutting out feedings. Again if I had been more educated on "supply issues" I would have known that formula was unnecessary and I should have nurse him on demand. I remember being so caught up with all my friends telling me their babies slept through the night at 3 weeks and I wanted that too.

I regret this decision all the time. I put my little guy through so much for just about 2 months. His little virgin gut did not take regular enfamil, similac, soy based formulas, good start etc. He kept spitting up and it caused his reflux issue to get worse and worse. Every time we switched formulas he would cry and cry for days because his tummy hurt. By the time we found the brand he would take with no pain but still spit-up I was getting ready to start him on solids at 4 months. This is also another thing I won't be doing again. I pumped that little body with artificial foods when I could have been giving him what is natural and best for him. Now that I am more educated I look back and regret a lot. Thankfully now Zack is a healthy little boy but I definitely feel a disconnect with him. If I could turn back time I would build that nursing relationship and keep it going.

If I could give any advice to a Mom it would be to learn everything you need to know about nursing and find a support group. Thankfully this time around I was introduced to an amazing group of nursing Moms who really opened my eyes on a lot more than just nursing. I just went to my last meeting with them and I cried on the way home because I don't think I will find such a wonderful group like them. Lucky for me they have a facebook page so no matter where I am in this world I know I have support right there. If you need any support at all click on the Breastfeeding Mamas link below.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/breastfeedingmamas/

Happy Nursing

Wordless Wednesday-Discovering

Join on the Wordless Wednesday blog role at http://mamato3blessings.blogspot.com/

Stupid is as stupid does

The word....Stupid. Is it really as bad as what we make it out to be? We as parents realized that the word and other choice 'curse' words are everywhere. No matter how much we fight to prevent our kids from hearing them; they will unfortunately pick them up. Of course lately the Z man has picked up on the word...Stupid. Here is what really grinds our gears. He didn't pick it up from us or school because you know...2-4 year olds are cussing up storms these days. No he got it from movies. Not our movies HIS movies. Nemo, Bugs Life, Lion King, Despicable Me, Tangled etc. How can these companies put the word in there and not expect kids to copy. Those are his favorite movies and when we get to Japan there will be no cable; so how do we allow him to watch his favorite things but expect him not to want to imitate these characters?

Do we do the age old trick, also featured on A Christmas Story, soap in the mouth?

No we can't risk soap poisoning.

Do we drill it into them like drill sergeants whenever they say these words?

No because when you take this approach they never listen no matter how loud you yell it.

What happens when you tell a child to stay away from the cookie jar? They immediately go for the cookie jar the minute you look away or leave the room. It becomes a personal vendetta for them to get into that jar no matter how high or difficult it is to get to it. They will probably still go for it if you put broccoli in it just because you said "DON'T TOUCH THAT JAR!!!" The best way to prevent any words or bad behavior is to lead by example. If you constantly cuss don't get mad at your kids for copying you. You are their greatest role models. They will always look to us for guidance. The movies, friends, and music will always be there and banning them completely would be well...stupid. If your kid starts picking up less than good words you can simply explain to them that the word is bad and Mommy and Daddy never say words like that. Don't drill them and please don't wash their mouths out with soap. Another good thing is to ask where they got the word from. When I asked Zack he didn't quite understand at first and then he said Grasshopper. So I immediately knew he picked it up from A Bugs Life. We briefly took it away but then we started noticing it everywhere we went. So recently he said it and I asked where he learned and when he said Grasshopper. I asked him "Isn't grasshopper the bad guy" and of course in Zack fashion he yelled "YEAH!" like he was really excited about it. Then I asked him "Wasn't grasshopper mean to the ants and didn't share the food with them? Or help them get the food?" Then I think it hit him and he connected the dots. Sure the word slips from him sometimes but he immediately gives me a look like he knows it was an accident. No kid wants to be mean and they want friends. So I think it really stuck with him. So happy it did because I was getting tired of being called stupid by a 3 year old. So what is your techniques? Please share them.

Discipline or Education

In my whopping 3 years of parenting I have noticed many parents refer to how they 'control' their children with the term discipline. Here is the definition of the term...

dis·ci·pline

 /ˈdɪsəplɪn/ Show Spelled [dis-uh-plin] Show IPA noun, verb, -plined, -plin·ing.

noun

1.

training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline.

2.

activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer.

3.

punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.

4.

the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc.: the harsh discipline of poverty.

5.

behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control: good discipline in an army.

 

I understand that as parents we have to prepare our children to behave well and listen to us; but is it really needed to call it discipline. It sounds like I am punishing an inmate or teenager who just got caught doing drugs. I think the correct term for us is Educate. I educate my children on what is right and wrong. 

 

Definition of EDUCATE

transitive verb

1

a : to provide schooling for <chose to educate their children at home> b : to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill, trade, or profession

2

a : to develop mentally, morally, or aesthetically especially by instruction b : to provide with information : inform <educating themselves about changes in the industry>

3

: to persuade or condition to feel, believe, or act in a desired way <educate the public to support our position>

 

Children don't need to be yelled at or spanked. Sure a good firm explanation is okay but I have noticed with Zack that he just doesn't respond to any "discipline" I need to take him by the hand and explain to what he did wrong and what he can do to fix it. So far for us this has been working great. We won't let him play with all his toys at once. He gets one toy and when he is done with that one he can put it away then pick out another one. After a craft or lesson he has to put it all away before he moves on. This has been teaching him so much self control. I am going to continue on this Educate route because it is working wonders. What do you think? Do you educate or discipline?

Just one of those days.

There are just some days where lying around all day seems completely productive. I have been on the go for the last few weeks getting all this overseas medical and dental screening taken care of that I really just want to soak in a hot tub and relax. But I can't just yet. This whole move thing isn't over and it's not going to end for awhile. I still have a flight to New Mexico to prep for. WHICH I have not even started getting things ready for it. I really need to get a jump on it considering it is 12 days away.

Trust me I am very excited to go visit home and see old friends but this isn't just a visit. I am going to be pretty much living there for a total of 2 months. Out here in Virginia I have been spoiled with the amount of wonderful activities that are at my disposal whenever I need them. Museum, busch gardens, indoor pools, bounce houses, amazing parks, zoo, aquarium, etc. There is plenty to do here and where I am going in New Mexico is great but I am going to need to get creative when it comes to preschooler activities. I guess that's what being a Mom is all about. 

For now though this Mom is heading to her nice hot bath. Goodnight and remember to click to vote for us at topmommyblogs.com. Just click the banners as much as you want and go have a look at other blogs.

Turning Japanese Part 1

Not going to lie here this is what goes off in my head every time someone talks about our move to Japan.

At first it seemed like such a faraway thing that I had plenty of time to prepare for it but nope it's literally right around the corner sneaking up on us. Today the boys and I made the trip to Virginia Beach which by the way is very far far away like over an hour far away. We got our dental, turned in our medical, I got a shot (ouch), and it's finally ALL done! The rest is in Stevens hands and all I have to worry about is the massive amount of clutter in my house. I leave on the 15th and until then I will be getting rid of a lot of junk that we have built up over the years so that when I leave on that Wednesday to fly to New Mexico by myself with 2 boys Steven won't have a lot to clean up. Wish us luck on this new adventure. The fun starts now.

6 Tips for Potty Training

"I MAKED POO POO IN THE POTTY!"

And....that my loves is what Zack is saying to us when he has to go poop. Yes yes YES! He is finally potty trained...well...except at night but we will work on that later on. It took us 4 days to get him to this point. Both Steven and I had enough and let the little man run in his birthday suit. It was a VERY VERY long 4 days and everyones emotions were on turbo speed but he did it. I am one proud mama! He is very proud of himself too.....


He wanted to wear his cool Harley undies Stevens parents got him for his birthday and he rocked Daddies sunglasses. Now here's for the fun part. How did we do it? Sure running around in the nude isn't the only thing that we did. But it sure feels like it. We are in no way shape or form pros at the land of potty training but here is a few of our tips that helped us.

 Tip #1 Buy a good potty. We tried the whole potty on the floor but it just wasn't happening for Zack. He is a little copycat and wants to do everything like Mommy and Daddy. So we invested in this one. I have forgotten what brand it is but it's cushioned and has some nice green handles. Zack even picked this one out. So I think that made him want to use it even more. Oh the toilet comes off and on real easily so it's easy for him to put on himself.



Tip #2 Reward Reward Reward! We did not like the whole give candy or TV time that others have used. So since I am cheap and frugal I just grabbed a piece of printer paper, taped it on the wall, pulled out 2 sheets of stickers from Zacks ever growing sticker stack, and let him pick 1 sticker for pee pee and 2 for poo poo. We even made this a little educational. One of the sticker sheets has the alphabet so he has to say what letter he wants instead of just pointing at it. As you can see he has a lot of stickers and he is so proud of them.

 Tip #3 Let them be nude! This is the best part for them. Kids love to be naked and they have no care in the world to be naked. Don't you just love innocence?

Tip #4 Stay home- One big thing that kept throwing us off was leaving and putting the pull up back on him. So from Friday to Monday we kept him home 110%

Tip #5 This is mostly for boys but let them decide how they want to pee. Standing or sitting? Zack chose something along the lines of sitting. He is kind of squat/sitting....if that makes any sense. Sorry no pictures of that it's a little too much nakedness.







Tip # 6 Remind! I can't stress this enough! We did NOT force Zack to sit on the potty at a certain time. We just kept on asking him "Do you need to pee pee/poo poo?" which quickly turned into "Do you need to potty?" This just constantly reminded him that "Oh hey! I do need to go!" This saved us from messy floors and an aching back from constant scrubbing. Not once did he poop on the floor and only had 3 pee pee accidents.  Thankfully none were on Eli.

So here we are...we have him telling us when he has to go and successfully going potty in public. I am so proud of my little guy. It's still shocking that he is potty trained he is growing way too fast for my liking but we are soooo close to not buying pull ups. He only gets them at night and nap time. So that is 2 a day. What a relief!