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June 24, 2011

Parent Club Blog Hop - No Rules

Parent Club is always sharing information on ways in which busy families can make their life a little bit easier...so why not share some good reads for nap time (or while you wait for the kids' karate class to finish)...through a blog hop.

There are no rules to this blog hop (wait - one rule - please keep the links family-friendly).

Should you wish to show some Parent Club Blog Hop luv...posting my button on your blog would most appreciated (but it's not a have to...feeding the kids is a have to...doing laundry is a have to...grabbing my button is not [and never will be] a have to...

Blog Design, Custom Blog Designs




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June 23, 2011

Pools, kids and drowning: A Big Reminder!

Did everyone hear the recent U.S. study that found a child drowns in a backyard portable pool once every five days in the summer?  (original study is in the Journal of Paediatrics).

From inflatable pools to wading pools even to in-ground pools - this is a big parent reminder - children should be closely supervised around water.

I learnt this the hard way.

A few years ago, the kids were swimming at a friend's house.  I got out of the water (they were at the edge in the shallow end) to get them towels.  (back up - they were 6 & 8 and had water noodles keeping them up - I wouldn't leave a toddler or baby ever in water).  So I turned just for a minute to get them a towel.

I was right there.

And I turned to see both kids under water - eyes open - near-drowning.  (Thing 2 had lost her noodle - grabbed Thing 1 - who at that exact moment lost her footing and went under with the weight of her sister holding her). 

And I froze.  You would think Mother instinct would set it.  I would jump to save my babies.  And I was just frozen for seconds.  Precious seconds.  I will never forget freezing.  Ever.

Our friend jumped in.  Propped the girls up.  And they were fine. 

The saying "water is a silent killer" is true - because kids don't scream while they go under.  I was right there and I didn't hear a sound.

Keep your kids in arms reach while they enjoy water play this summer.  Take a CPR course (I really need to do this myself). 

Pools should be fun for kids...not deathly.

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June 21, 2011

#TravelTuesday tip | stroller shade

This is an inexpensive travel tip to shade your baby when you go out & about in the sunny world.

Get some rip-stop (available at fabric stores) and a hair clip.

(yes, I sewed the borders so it wouldn't frey - extra June Cleaver points for me - you don't have to do this).

Drape the rip-stop over your stroller canopy and secure it with hair clip.

Voila - light weight, cheap, practical sun protection!

Also doubles as a picnic blanket!



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June 20, 2011

Easy Kid-Cooking Cookies | #LMDConnector

Challenge: bake kid-made cookies with an 8 yr old on a Friday night while baby sits in highchair.

Do-able?: apparently yes.

Not only did we make really yummy and cool cookies (merci to this easy Life Made Delicious Bunny Cookie recipe)


These cookies also won 1st place in the school cookie contest! (#WIN for dd's self-esteem - since losing her "baby" status in the family we've been taking extra steps to make her feel special - this was such a boost for her)

How easy? betty crocker sugar cookie mix + a few other ingredients +  kid creativity = ready in no time!

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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June 19, 2011

Zombie Moms: Not Just For Newborns | Kathy Buckworth

The huge on-line success of the book “Go the F**k to Sleep” is due mainly to one thing: Every single parent in the world has uttered these words, either in their inside or outside voice. From the string of sleepless nights a newborn delivers the minute they come home from the hospital, through scary school age nightmares about The Grinch, to the awakening sounds of a teenage boy banging around the kitchen in search of a midnight snack. Sleep is one of the few challenges parents face with their children from start to finish, and that we all can relate to not having enough of. However, as with many facets of raising children, sleep deprivation is one where you always think you’re going through a tougher time than anyone before, or after you.

While the recent Twitter hashtag #ZombieMoms includes membership from Moms with children of all ages, it does skew towards the newborn side. Their challenges don’t always inspire thoughts of empathy.

“You think it’s tough having a newborn? At least they don’t go anywhere – I’m up all night worrying about my teenager driving around, and then when she gets home she makes so much noise it wakes me up all over again.”

Complaining about the lack of sleep (a badge of honour for parents) is a bit of a curious phenomenon. Back in the good ol’ days (before we had kids), most of us wore our lack of sleep status with pride.

“I was out clubbing til 4:00am, had a power nap, a quick shower, and here I am back at work. Wicked, man.”

I suppose there are some similarities with that type of sleep deprivation and the type that comes from having a newborn; your eyes are red, your body’s aching, and you might be dealing with vomit which isn’t always your own. The main difference though is the lack of control that you have over your own sleep patterns, once Baby makes his entrance. When they’re infants, we instinctively rise to their occasion every time they can’t sleep. We read the baby books that alternate between telling us to comfort them instantly, and just letting them scream it out. Unfortunately Baby isn’t usually up to speed on which book we’re reading or which strategy we’re trying, so it doesn’t always work.

As the kids get older, though, it can be a mistake to let them assume they are still in charge.

“I try to get him to bed at 8:00 but he just won’t go.”

Have to admit I don’t understand this. What’s with the “try”? Just substitute the word “put” here, and it works out pretty well. The getting them to stay in bed, once uncontained by crib bars, can be the real challenge.

By the time they get to the ‘tween stage, they try to push the boundaries of bedtime, but most of them haven’t mastered the art of sleeping-in the next morning, so a later sleep start usually just speeds up the development of the surly side of their personality which will fully bloom in the teen years.

When your teenage children start to stay up later than you do, it makes you feel old. Not the physical old as you feel when you’ve been up six times in the night with a newborn, but old in a “how old am I?” mental way. Comparing the levels of weariness, both of spirit and body, is tough.

Teenagers, on the whole, like to sleep in. Let them. As tempting as it is to get some sleep deprivation revenge fully due to you, take the time to Drink The F**k Some Coffee.


Read Funny Mummy every month. Visit Kathy Buckworth at http://www.kathybuckworth.com/ and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kathybuckworth Kathy’s latest book, “Shut Up and Eat: Tales of Chicken, Children and Chardonnay” can be found at bookstores and online, everywhere.

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