@kmolleltz girl when did you cut your hair off?? It looks good Or has it been short and I just lack observational skillz?
One of the giraffes at the zoo starting munching on my moms hair once haha I guess she mistook the blonde for some hay I wish that wasn't before the dawn od the cell phone so somebody could have recorded it!
And thank you ladies. I have one more incentive-based idea I'm going to try before I jump on the bootcamp wagon.
I'll give the big kids the chance to earn 1) A dollar for good behavior daily 2) A dollar for clean bedrooms before bedtime daily 3) A cash-in day on Saturdays at the dollar store where they can either buy something with what they've earned, or save it if they choose. Rules: Behavior- must be respectful, responsible, obedient, and helpful. Rooms: Must be clean before bedtime WITHOUT having to be told or reminded. Getting in trouble at school, lying, or stealing immediately disqualifies you for the day, and you can't earn any money while grounded. Does that sound fair?
@AllyTheKid I totally get the idea of your incentive program but I respectfully disagree with rewarding them for having good behavior. I feel like that shouldn't be a reward. What if you added some more chores for a dollar and if they show bad behavior, lie, steal, etc., you deduct a dollar. That way they aren't earning money for how they should act anyways.. they are getting a sort of punishment if they show bad behavior. You do you! Just my 2 cents!
@AllyTheKid have you ever heard of a "Caught Ya' Being Good" jar? The gist is that when the parent notices a child being especially kind, helpful, etc. - in general a good kid - a token of some sort is put into a jar that they can see. Those tokens can correspond to whatever reward you decide together is worth working toward. (Say, 10 tokens means we go to a movie, for example)
I'm cheap, admittedly, but the above plan is putting you on the hook for $14/week every week forever, and then more once the littler ones are able to participate.
Is there some sort of passion your SS has that you could entice him to work toward?
I also have no idea what the dynamic is between your DD and SS, but I worry that the $1 for doing good stuff thing would pit them against each other and maybe make SS even less likely to want to be good, if he feels like he can't compete with DD. If any of this makes sense
I know some people don't do christenings/baptisms, but for those of you that do or will, at what age? I need to start planning S's soon because my best friend/her god mother lives in Italy so she will need enough advanced notice to plan her trip. I was thinking August or September. S will be 10/11 months then.
@Ladybug2821 I think it depends on denomination. Most people I know have it done around 4-5 months I think. I'm sure your church/place of worship would be happy to welcome S at any age.
@kgridley27 Oh yeah, they definitely will. They actually threw me a baby shower. I was just thinking more on the level of S being chill through out the event.
In other news, WTF to the local library taking a "story time planning break" almost the entire month of May. I was really looking forward to taking S there now that she's older. I got all excited looking through the April calendar and then got shut down when I looked at May's.
@fitlady21 I completely agree that they *shouldn't* be rewarded for behaving. In my mind, it just seemed like the best way to get him to behave. =/ @ kgridley27 I like the concept of your jar, but (I'm really not going out of my way to sound pessimistic, this is just how it is) I don't think that would work well for both of them. SS is the 'instant gratification' type, so having to wait to save up for doing good deeds (which frankly he doesn't do unless it immediately benefits him) will not be incentive enough at all. The prospect of a potential daily reward might be though, with some tweaking because I DO agree not to just reward them for doing what they're supposed to do, and I'll add chores to the list like @fitlady21 said. SS and DD have a fairly normal sibling relationship. DD doesn't remember life without him, so as far as she comprehends, he is her whole, real big brother. He usually honors that belief. And i wouldn't make it like "one of you gets this and the other doesn't" thing, if they both comply, they both get a reward, if one doesn't only one gets a reward, if they're both bad, nobody gets anything. I completely get what you're saying though. He doesn't really have any passions, he likes playing Minecraft, but we took his xBox from him when he stole that $100 out of the wallet. I have to make him go play outside or he just wants to watch TV so I don't lnow how to make him work towards a passion I suck at this! I just want him to be good ;(
Would he be willing to work toward a cool experience like go carting or indoor rock climbing or something? Probably not, from what you've said already, but I just thought I'd throw it out there and see what sticks
Today is the first time S will be with someone else for an extended period of time. H's schedule may change and we are lucky that I know someone that lives less than 5 mins from us that was great friends with my mom when I was a kid. She even used to watch my sisters at one point. I'm still nervous of course, but S seems to really like her. No one else has ever been able to get S down for a nap except for H and I so I'm worried about how that's going to turn out. The only other time S was watched by someone else was by my friend for a couple of hours and she struggled to get her to sleep. My other concern is she does have some medical issues like MS. When she's well, its fine, but when she's not, she wouldn't be able to watch S so that could cause some issues with work. FX today goes well so that when it does become a full time thing I won't worry as much. I also have that feeling that S will forget about me because she's spending so much time with someone else. I know that's not true but it still sucks that I can't just stay home with my baby.
He might like something like that, I'll find out of they have any of those things up in the city and how much they cost. I must confess- I didn't even know things like that existed intil 2010, and I felt like such a caveman being the only person in awe of the idea of INDOOR go-carts or rock climbing haha I hear there is a place up in the city full of giant indoor trampolines too!
I'm thinking about cutting my hair but I need to be talked out of it! I wear it down for work and once I get home, LO is constantly grabbing it and it hurts! Also I'm losing tons of it. But I know I don't look good with short hair! But it's soooo hot having long hair in the summer. Haha maybe I should make a pro/con list
@AllyTheKid Honestly I love the way my hair looks! It's a great look on me and I constantly get compliments on it. I just wish I could keep it long without it constantly being pulled and yanked on! And I'm tired of seeing long hairs everywhere. I know both are just a phase so I should probably just suck it up haha
@fitlady21 you are speaking my language sister. The super long HOT hair, excessive shedding ( my shower drain-yikes), hair all over the floor, clothes,my baby, etc. Baby also grabs fistfuls so I resort to wearing a ridiculously high top knot when I'm home to avoid the pain from her tugging.
I also have been on the ledge of cutting but cannot commit because I have a round face and with short hair look like a pumpkin head. Also my hair texture (wavy) does not cooperate if its shorter. I need to length to weight it down so to speak.
@brzvice YES!! The few times I've cut my hair short, it did not turn out well. I too have a round face so long hair just looks better! Mines almost down to my waist so I'm thinking about just getting it trimmed a couple of inches. Wish I could wear mine up but I hate how it looks. If it's up, I have a baseball hat on haha
@AllyTheKid I read an article about getting your kids to do chores & making it a positive experience and thought of you. One of the things it mentioned as a tip was to give the kids options, i.e., you can vacuum the living room or sweep the kitchen. I wonder if that would give your SS a little sense of control and make for an easier adjustment?
I have a round face, and a "strong jawline", and the best way I found to rock short hair is to keep a longer side fringe with longish bangs that can be side-combed over to meet it, and then satck and feather it. So it's like a pixie-bob hybrid with longer bangs, and that style will flatter all faces except really narrow ones, which it makes look too thin and sickly IMO. That's how I kept it after I decided I'm too old to still have a mohawk but then I decided to grow it out long after FI and I got together, so I've only gotten my split ends trimmed once or twice a year for the last three years. I want LONG long hair! I don't even care that it looks like I'm putting a crocheted blanket of my hair out of the vacuum filter everytime I vacuum or some little mammal drowned in my shower ever time I clean the drain haha As far as LOs hands... #ponytails4Lyfe
You guys.. I went crazy last night and made my LO so much baby food! I feel so accomplished haha. I made: strawberry, mango, and apple putee Eggplant, blueberry, and plum purée Avocado, Brocccoli, and cauliflower purée Sweet potato, strawberry, butternut squash, and carrot purée
@fitlady21 I'm making all V's baby food too. Puree's right now but am hoping to switch to baby led feeding in the next month. I blend all her grains right now as well and it sure is a lot of work. Worth it though because the food tastes so good! Please continue to share your combos, so I can steal them of course! So far the only combo I've frozen into cubes together is apple plum. I do mix the cubes I thaw out though or I give her a bite of peas then a bite of carrots etc. I've found she really enjoys a pinch of cinnamon with the apple and bananas. There is still so many flavors I can't wait for her to try.
@brzvice I haven't introduced any grains yet.. what grains are you using? I'll cut up whatever meat or chicken I have on hand and she'll eat that in small bites. I refuse to purée meat haha. She also eats eggs every morning. I've tried giving her a banana and she chewed off a huge chunk! It made me so nervous I took it away haha. I will give her peas and sometimes small fruit and let her feed herself.
@fitlady21 I have made her organic barley, brown/wild rice blend, and oatmeal. She has done well with all 3. I grind them to a powder in my blender then cook as directed. The brown/wild rice blend I had to put through the sieve after it was cooked because I think I under cooked it and it was to chunky for my liking. Still have to try buckwheat, kamut, millet and quinoa.
I still haven't introduced eggs,meat or dairy and she hasn't self fed because I have some anxiety about it. I have to get over that! I'm going to try to introduce 2 new things a week (following the 4 day rule) starting Sunday.
the one thing about baby led weaning I am not looking forward to is what a mess I'm sure it will be
@Kgridley27 Thanks! I really just make them up as to what I think sounds good/balances each other out. I also freeze them in ice cube trays so I'm only making her food once every 2-4 weeks.
@brzvice oh my goodness! They make such a mess! Haha but she looks so proud when she's fed herself and covered in eggs hah
network is terrible where we are at now but was able to get on for a quick update. We met with the Dr/Surgeon team today. Abigails VSD is way larger than we initially thought but her ASD is small and closing on its own. They did say she's in heart failure and is near the top of the priority list so they will call us on Monday to confirm but it looks like she will have her open heart surgery either wednesday or thursday!
@kmolleltz thinking of you SUPER hard! That sweet baby girl is going to nail it. I'm so glad you were able to find providers you trust to perform the surgery.
Alright ladies! here goes nothing! We are being admitted this afternoon for surgery tomorrow! I most likely won't be around here for awhile, obviously not sure how things will go and network at the hospital is terrible.
Send us all the positive thoughts/vibes/prayers.... Im kinda freaking out.
@kmolleltz Praying for Abigail to have a easy, successful surgery and for the team of Doctors who will operate on her. She looks absolutely precious<3 I can't wait for the update that her little heart is repaired and shes on the mend. You, your Husband and baby girl will be able to get through anything in life once this is successfully put behind you. Stay strong and keep the faith.
For those pumping and nursing.. how long do you plan on doing so? I absolutely love nursing my LO and I 100% despise pumping. It's getting to the point where pumping is negatively effecting my mood for the day. I don't want to quit because I want to keep nursing her but I don't know what to do! I'm hoping it's just a phase.
@fitlady21 I am still BFing, pumping and supplementing and have phased out a late morning session and MOTN pump. Life is so much better after eliminating those 2 pumps. LO is still satisfied at the breast so I don't believe it has hurt my supply (yet) although I never had a great supply to begin with. We nurse 2x a day when I'm working and 4x a day on the weekends.
Re: April Randoms
FX the boot camp works out for you guys. It sounds exactly like what he needs.
Abigail really wasnt sure what to think of these guys
One of the giraffes at the zoo starting munching on my moms hair once haha I guess she mistook the blonde for some hay
And thank you ladies. I have one more incentive-based idea I'm going to try before I jump on the bootcamp wagon.
I'll give the big kids the chance to earn
1) A dollar for good behavior daily
2) A dollar for clean bedrooms before bedtime daily
3) A cash-in day on Saturdays at the dollar store where they can either buy something with what they've earned, or save it if they choose.
Rules: Behavior- must be respectful, responsible, obedient, and helpful.
Rooms: Must be clean before bedtime WITHOUT having to be told or reminded.
Getting in trouble at school, lying, or stealing immediately disqualifies you for the day, and you can't earn any money while grounded.
Does that sound fair?
@AllyTheKid have you ever heard of a "Caught Ya' Being Good" jar? The gist is that when the parent notices a child being especially kind, helpful, etc. - in general a good kid - a token of some sort is put into a jar that they can see. Those tokens can correspond to whatever reward you decide together is worth working toward. (Say, 10 tokens means we go to a movie, for example)
I'm cheap, admittedly, but the above plan is putting you on the hook for $14/week every week forever, and then more once the littler ones are able to participate.
Is there some sort of passion your SS has that you could entice him to work toward?
I also have no idea what the dynamic is between your DD and SS, but I worry that the $1 for doing good stuff thing would pit them against each other and maybe make SS even less likely to want to be good, if he feels like he can't compete with DD. If any of this makes sense
@kgridley27 Oh yeah, they definitely will. They actually threw me a baby shower. I was just thinking more on the level of S being chill through out the event.
In other news, WTF to the local library taking a "story time planning break" almost the entire month of May. I was really looking forward to taking S there now that she's older. I got all excited looking through the April calendar and then got shut down when I looked at May's.
@ kgridley27 I like the concept of your jar, but (I'm really not going out of my way to sound pessimistic, this is just how it is) I don't think that would work well for both of them. SS is the 'instant gratification' type, so having to wait to save up for doing good deeds (which frankly he doesn't do unless it immediately benefits him) will not be incentive enough at all. The prospect of a potential daily reward might be though, with some tweaking because I DO agree not to just reward them for doing what they're supposed to do, and I'll add chores to the list like @fitlady21 said.
SS and DD have a fairly normal sibling relationship. DD doesn't remember life without him, so as far as she comprehends, he is her whole, real big brother. He usually honors that belief. And i wouldn't make it like "one of you gets this and the other doesn't" thing, if they both comply, they both get a reward, if one doesn't only one gets a reward, if they're both bad, nobody gets anything.
I completely get what you're saying though. He doesn't really have any passions, he likes playing Minecraft, but we took his xBox from him when he stole that $100 out of the wallet. I have to make him go play outside or he just wants to watch TV so I don't lnow how to make him work towards a passion
I suck at this! I just want him to be good ;(
Today is the first time S will be with someone else for an extended period of time. H's schedule may change and we are lucky that I know someone that lives less than 5 mins from us that was great friends with my mom when I was a kid. She even used to watch my sisters at one point. I'm still nervous of course, but S seems to really like her. No one else has ever been able to get S down for a nap except for H and I so I'm worried about how that's going to turn out. The only other time S was watched by someone else was by my friend for a couple of hours and she struggled to get her to sleep. My other concern is she does have some medical issues like MS. When she's well, its fine, but when she's not, she wouldn't be able to watch S so that could cause some issues with work. FX today goes well so that when it does become a full time thing I won't worry as much. I also have that feeling that S will forget about me because she's spending so much time with someone else. I know that's not true but it still sucks that I can't just stay home with my baby.
I also have been on the ledge of cutting but cannot commit because I have a round face and with short hair look like a pumpkin head. Also my hair texture (wavy) does not cooperate if its shorter. I need to length to weight it down so to speak.
That's how I kept it after I decided I'm too old to still have a mohawk
As far as LOs hands... #ponytails4Lyfe
strawberry, mango, and apple putee
Eggplant, blueberry, and plum purée
Avocado, Brocccoli, and cauliflower purée
Sweet potato, strawberry, butternut squash, and carrot purée
yum yum!
Please continue to share your combos, so I can steal them of course! So far the only combo I've frozen into cubes together is apple plum. I do mix the cubes I thaw out though or I give her a bite of peas then a bite of carrots etc.
I've found she really enjoys a pinch of cinnamon with the apple and bananas. There is still so many flavors I can't wait for her to try.
I have serious baby food envy reading this! @fitlady21 please do continue to share your combos and any tips you have!
I still haven't introduced eggs,meat or dairy and she hasn't self fed because I have some anxiety about it. I have to get over that! I'm going to try to introduce 2 new things a week (following the 4 day rule) starting Sunday.
the one thing about baby led weaning I am not looking forward to is what a mess I'm sure it will be
@brzvice oh my goodness! They make such a mess! Haha but she looks so proud when she's fed herself and covered in eggs hah
@kmolleltz thinking of you SUPER hard! That sweet baby girl is going to nail it. I'm so glad you were able to find providers you trust to perform the surgery.
Send us all the positive thoughts/vibes/prayers.... Im kinda freaking out.