Sick sick sick

So i know that i havent been around lately to write a blog but my household has been sick sick sick!!! Im pretty sure this household has been sick for at least! a month.. Sigh, Anyway This blog is to inform all the parents out there an AMAZING trick i learned about the kids when they are sick. Its going to sound completely bonkers. When i heard people say they did this to their kids i seriously thought these people were crazy but after listening to my daughter cough non-stop for 2 days i was willing to try anything. I couldnt make out if her cough was asthma related or she just had a cough, So after using the inhalers and not getting a change i thought i would give one last thing a try and if she was still having coughing fits every 2 minutes then i was taking her to the doctors. Okay..... Here it is.. I put a generous amount of VICKS on her feet (yes! who would have thought!) and put socks on her while she was in bed. Not only did she NOT cough one time last night, she has very rarely coughed today!!!!  My mind is blown.

Homeward Bound!

My son is finally home, time to get back into the grind of things.
Seeing as school starts back up from March Break on Monday i thought id share what our morning routine is like. For me a challenge is to remember to make my sons lunch the night before. Let me tell you this saves me SO much time in the morning, and yet its ALWAYS something i forget. This is my Tip.. Make the lunch at night, your morning will not be so rushed and maybe you can sit down and enjoy your morning coffee. 

March Break Madness

Okay , so I've been MIA for a bit. Welcome to March Break madness!! My son is gone for a week to Florida so its been pretty quiet around the house. We've painted his room up to his favorite sports team and added some nice pictures to the wall as a surprise to let him know how much he was missed. Next week starts the normal bustle of life so i'll probably write another blog then.

Pass the salt please

We went out for breakfast this morning which inspired this blog. What we do to keep the kids occupied during meals out. Now we don't go out to eat very often and sometimes when we do if its a last minute decision i'm usually kicking myself in the butt for not being prepared. Some things i try to keep in my purse on a regular basis for the kids, little things to keep them busy. I usually ALWAYS have a pack of crayons in there and a small note pad/scrap paper...what kid doesn't like to color right? I think i have a couple dinky cars in there as well. Anyway nothing is more frustrating to a parent then trying to sit down and eat while your kids are running around.. having these things with me all the time ensures that i usually have something to occupy these guys for at least a small amount of time before i can come up with something else. Just a small tip. :)

Sweet Dreams

Those of you who have been following my status' on facebook know that my number one struggle lately has been bedtime with E. When my son was younger i don't remember this ever being a problem. I remember he would sleep all the time.. and still to this day enjoys sleeping. The first thing i've learned very fast with my daughter is to stick to a routine. Stay with a bedtime and do the same thing over and over. I know it seems like common sense but its very easy to start feeling like what your doing isn't working.. I've tried just about everything i can think of and even what some of you have suggested, what i've googled and at this point it seems like NOTHING has worked. Some suggestions to those of you out there who maybe need some ideas 
1. Bath about an hour before bed with nighttime bubbles/lotion 
2.Soothing music/noises in the bedroom
3. Warm milk
4.Dim the lights early, read a book and have a "calm time" before bed
That's just a few suggestions to start with. At one point i was doing every one of those with my daughter and it just wasn't catching. So if its not working .. your not alone.. believe me.
There has been one thing i've noticed when it comes to bedtime that seems to work the best , but is very frustrating, time consuming and WILL wear you out. Just keep putting them back in bed. Yes it seems like common sense... But from personal experience at night sometimes i'm putting my daughter back into bed for 2 hours or more, it gets very frustrating and very hard not to get mad.. But the more i found myself getting mad the more i noticed it was taking her longer to fall asleep. I make sure the first time i go in there im very stern with my voice "go to sleep,stay in bed (hugs,kisses) Anytime after that Silence. Just go in there, take them by the hand, walk them back to bed and leave. At first she thinks its pretty funny (which just fuels my frustration) but after 3 or 4 times she knows mommy isn't kidding around anymore. I do not have this perfected yet by any means, this is still a huge work in progress. I've noticed that going in there and talking or demanding she stay in bed was getting nowhere and just making me mad. Kill them with kindness. The more i am calm and very stern but soft with my voice the faster she gets that, this IS bedtime. Ive also noticed that half hour outside does WONDERS just before bed.. A little fresh air, a small walk around the block.. whatever. Every time i've done the fresh air thing about an hour before bed its usually less time i spend placing her back into bed. I hope some of this helps because i know this whole bedtime thing can get a little crazy and time consuming, You will get through this, you will find something that works.. It may seem impossible but just remember the phrase " kill them with kindness" It really helps to keep a level head. I keep trying to remind myself this wont be a problem in a few more years. Stick with it guys!

First Post

Okay so im starting this Blog because a lot of my facebook people have been asking me for advice.. A lot of us are going through the same experiences right now with our children (some more extreme then others) and i thought this may be a good place to start sharing some things that have worked for me, or what im about to try and so on or maybe i'll just use this to rant and rave about my day, who knows anyway... I have 2 children.. A 6 year old boy who we will call A..and a 2 year old girl who will be referred to as E. These two kids are my life (literally) as i stay at home with these guys 24-7. My daughter more so as A is in school. Keep checking back here for new posts as i'll probably be writing new ones nightly (after A & E go to bed)