It is no secret that times are hard. Weather you are considerd white colar or blue colar, everyone is effected in one way or another. With gass, and grocerys prices continuing to increase everyone is feeling the pinch. This is a sad reality of times but I personally find one thing conforting. We are not alone. In a strange way I find this slightly reasuring. We are not alone, we can talk to others and they will understand and not judge. Another thing that people need to remember is to stay positive. This can be the most difficult of all. It is easy to see the many bad things that are happening but people need to focus on the most important things... the positve.
Be optimistic!! Try to see the bright side of your situation. Granted, anyone who is reading this may be saying to themselves, "easier said than done", but doing this act can be one of the most important things you do in your life. This is point in your life that people really need to put energy into being optamist and try to stay away from pesamistic points of view. You may have money troubles but do you have your health. What about your family, are they healthy, smart, supportive, alive? Look at these aspects of your life and put more focus on them. Some examples of inexpencive or free things to do with the people that mean the most are; Have an outdoor picnic with your family, a potluck with the neighbors,pull out a movie from your collection you haven't watched in a while and watch it again with your friends, take your dog on a long walk and see the new things in your naborhood.
You can even do some crafts with your kids from recycled stuff around the house. All of these things are wonderful focus on when finshial times get tough. I'm not saying only look at the positve and ignore your problems because if you do that, your troubles will never go away. I'm simply saying to try to put things into perspective and don't let the negative aspects of your life blind you from the positive.
Here are 2 quotes that help me put things into perspective during hard times.
For everything you have missed, you have gained something else;
and for everything you gain you loose something else.
It is about your outlook on life, you can either regret or rejoice. ~Author Unknown~
Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
But Today is a Gift
That is why it is known as
The Present ~Auther Unknown~
Friday, April 1, 2011
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mom's Sacrifice = Children's Entertainment
I thought I would share with you a funny story about one of the everyday sacrifices of being a mother. A few years ago my husband (Bob) my daughter(Sammy) and I decided to go the Bird Aviary to let my daughter see the birds. My daughter loves birds.
A little known fact about ME that I have yet to mention is my extreme dislike for birds. All birds. Not just the big ugly ones but the little annoying ones as well and every kind in between. But not wanting to push my phobias and problems onto my child I agree and we went. After we arrived the 3 of us are slowly walking around looking at the birds as I silently gag from the stench and a man walks over to us and asks if we want to feed the birds. My family eagerly answers with a "sure!" and off we go. So we sit in this hot, damp, room with all of these dirty birds flying over our heads and all I could think about was the strong likeliness of one pooping on Sammy, Bob, or my self. I know its good luck in some cultures but... Gross!
Anyways, a man stands in front of my family and a group other people with their kids and begins telling us all about the different breeds and what they eat. Then he asks if anyone wants to help feed them. Low and behold who's hand pops up first but my 3 year old daughters. So he says "Okay", and puts a big, fat sardine in her hand and before I know it, an ugly bird swoops down and takes it from Sammy's tiny hand. I squirmed and cringed but, to be a good Mom, smiled and clapped the minute she looked at me. Before long she was feeding all kinds of birds but it wasn't only fish that she was feeding them. He gave her worms, bird seed, and maggots. It took allot of energy to keep myself from running from the room but I kept a good face the entire time and soon we were done and she was washing her hands. When we got home I was extremely proud of my little one and disgusted buy the entire experience.
Everyone always told me that being a Mom means sacrifice and doing things you may not always want to do, but that day I was really put to the test.
A little known fact about ME that I have yet to mention is my extreme dislike for birds. All birds. Not just the big ugly ones but the little annoying ones as well and every kind in between. But not wanting to push my phobias and problems onto my child I agree and we went. After we arrived the 3 of us are slowly walking around looking at the birds as I silently gag from the stench and a man walks over to us and asks if we want to feed the birds. My family eagerly answers with a "sure!" and off we go. So we sit in this hot, damp, room with all of these dirty birds flying over our heads and all I could think about was the strong likeliness of one pooping on Sammy, Bob, or my self. I know its good luck in some cultures but... Gross!
Anyways, a man stands in front of my family and a group other people with their kids and begins telling us all about the different breeds and what they eat. Then he asks if anyone wants to help feed them. Low and behold who's hand pops up first but my 3 year old daughters. So he says "Okay", and puts a big, fat sardine in her hand and before I know it, an ugly bird swoops down and takes it from Sammy's tiny hand. I squirmed and cringed but, to be a good Mom, smiled and clapped the minute she looked at me. Before long she was feeding all kinds of birds but it wasn't only fish that she was feeding them. He gave her worms, bird seed, and maggots. It took allot of energy to keep myself from running from the room but I kept a good face the entire time and soon we were done and she was washing her hands. When we got home I was extremely proud of my little one and disgusted buy the entire experience.
Everyone always told me that being a Mom means sacrifice and doing things you may not always want to do, but that day I was really put to the test.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Toxic Plastic! Are Your Kids Drinking from Toxic Sippy Cups or Bottles?
Last year there was an article on the local news station that discussed briefly that the plastic cups, bottles, containers, and sippy cups could be potentially toxic. The news briefly discussed some brand names of sippy cups that had been recalled and went on in a matter of 30 seconds. I found this to be alarming and a little misinforming. Since then, I wonder if the things I have in my home are safe or not, and I how could I tell.
Well, the other day I was watching a show called The Doctors. On this show, there are 4 doctors that host the show a gynecologist, plastic surgeon, pediatrician, and ER doctor. These 4 doctors and sometimes special guests, answer many question that people write in and ask but are too afraid to ask there own doctors and maybe can't ever get a straight answer. The other day, the doctors were asked a question about toxic or poisonous plastic containers including sippy cups and bottles. The pediatrician on the show said that on the bottom of all plastic container in your home, like sippy cups and tupper ware, there should be a triangle and in the middle of the triangle will be a number. If the number is a 1, 2, 4, or 5 than it is safe. If it is another number it may not be and throw the item away. This really helped.
The Doctors is shown at 11:00am US eastern time and has become very helpful. You can also find it on line and ask your own embarrassing and not so embarrassing questions to them at http://www.thedoctorstv.com/
Well, the other day I was watching a show called The Doctors. On this show, there are 4 doctors that host the show a gynecologist, plastic surgeon, pediatrician, and ER doctor. These 4 doctors and sometimes special guests, answer many question that people write in and ask but are too afraid to ask there own doctors and maybe can't ever get a straight answer. The other day, the doctors were asked a question about toxic or poisonous plastic containers including sippy cups and bottles. The pediatrician on the show said that on the bottom of all plastic container in your home, like sippy cups and tupper ware, there should be a triangle and in the middle of the triangle will be a number. If the number is a 1, 2, 4, or 5 than it is safe. If it is another number it may not be and throw the item away. This really helped.
The Doctors is shown at 11:00am US eastern time and has become very helpful. You can also find it on line and ask your own embarrassing and not so embarrassing questions to them at http://www.thedoctorstv.com/
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Minimize Your Child's Nagging for the Holidays!
The holidays are quickly approaching and if you have kids you are probably experiencing more nagging than normal. You may have also found that there are many more advertisement on T.V mostly geared towards children. Let's just put two and two together...
T.V with more advertisements + children = nagging kids
Okay. I'm not one of those mothers that lets their child sit in front of of T.V all day. However, I find nothing wrong with appropriate children program's and I have always monitored their shows and the contents there of. But I realized that not only do I need to monitor their TV shows but also the entire station and channel it is on. Some channels that have perfectly fine T.V shows for children, also bombard the kids with bright, flashy, and enticing commercials for products. Most of which are either fad toys that easily break after one use or are foods that are so highly processed that I wouldn't allow my children to ingest. But because of the flashy advertisements and the poppy music with the child actors shouting,"cool!" and "awesome!" I have to hear from my child for the rest of the day and every time we enter a store, "I want that", "I want this", and "I saw that on TV". Well this gets old fast.
I realized that I have to monitor the T.V channel and not just the show. I found that there are some channels that show almost no advertisements for products, such as the Disney channel or PBS. Another wonderful thing I have encountered was On Demand. It helps me to pick out their favorite shows, allow them watch, and never worry about flashy advertisements or poor content.
Doing this act has not only minimized my child's greed and need for everything colorful, it has also lessened (not eliminated) the amount of nagging I hear while at home and at the store. It may seem small but most mothers know if you can do something to avoid any level of nagging it's probably worth it.
T.V with more advertisements + children = nagging kids
Okay. I'm not one of those mothers that lets their child sit in front of of T.V all day. However, I find nothing wrong with appropriate children program's and I have always monitored their shows and the contents there of. But I realized that not only do I need to monitor their TV shows but also the entire station and channel it is on. Some channels that have perfectly fine T.V shows for children, also bombard the kids with bright, flashy, and enticing commercials for products. Most of which are either fad toys that easily break after one use or are foods that are so highly processed that I wouldn't allow my children to ingest. But because of the flashy advertisements and the poppy music with the child actors shouting,"cool!" and "awesome!" I have to hear from my child for the rest of the day and every time we enter a store, "I want that", "I want this", and "I saw that on TV". Well this gets old fast.
I realized that I have to monitor the T.V channel and not just the show. I found that there are some channels that show almost no advertisements for products, such as the Disney channel or PBS. Another wonderful thing I have encountered was On Demand. It helps me to pick out their favorite shows, allow them watch, and never worry about flashy advertisements or poor content.
Doing this act has not only minimized my child's greed and need for everything colorful, it has also lessened (not eliminated) the amount of nagging I hear while at home and at the store. It may seem small but most mothers know if you can do something to avoid any level of nagging it's probably worth it.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Helpful Tips for Potty Training a Girl.
Most people with a child in diapers looks forward to the day when they hear "I went in the potty". Sometimes this process can be a bit of a headache but I know that when I was potty training my daughter, I looked to anyone for help and/ or advice. For anyone who is interested in advice how to successfully potty train their little girl here you go...
1. Potty training should start around the age of 2. Some may start sooner, some may start latter, but approximately age 2.
2. Don't start the process if you (the parent) are not ready. Your child will respond to you.
3. Once you start the process of potty training keep moving forward, never back. Regression can cause more problems than you want.
4. First keep track of her bladder schedule. Know when you change diapers. Ex, first thing in the morning, before lunch, after nap, after dinner, before bed-time.
5. Once you have her bladder schedule known, you know when you should put her on the potty for 5min time periods.
6. Purchase regular underwear for home and pull ups for bedtime and when out in public.
7. Let her choose her underwear and pull-ups, this will give her encouragement to be able to wear something she likes.
8. When she is out of diapers don't put them back on her. She needs to be able to feel wet. Diapers tend to pull moisture away and let her feel dry when she is not.
9. You may be doing more laundry than usual during this process but think of the money you will save on diapers.
10. If your little one does not have 24/7 access to the bathroom, purchase a mobile potty and put it in the same room she spends most of her time.
11. Reinforce positive behavior. Make a BIG deal when she successfully goes in the potty.
12. Put little to no emphasis on the negative or any accidents.
13. If you are comfortable, let her fallow Mommy into the bathroom to show her how the "big girls" do it.
14. Keep your cool. This can become frustrating but stay positive. Its a very big step for both you and
your little one.
This is the process I used to potty train my daughter and from diapers to underwear was only a 1 month process.
Every child is different and never compare your child's potty training progress to anyone else. I hope my advice helps out and enjoy the end result.
1. Potty training should start around the age of 2. Some may start sooner, some may start latter, but approximately age 2.
2. Don't start the process if you (the parent) are not ready. Your child will respond to you.
3. Once you start the process of potty training keep moving forward, never back. Regression can cause more problems than you want.
4. First keep track of her bladder schedule. Know when you change diapers. Ex, first thing in the morning, before lunch, after nap, after dinner, before bed-time.
5. Once you have her bladder schedule known, you know when you should put her on the potty for 5min time periods.
6. Purchase regular underwear for home and pull ups for bedtime and when out in public.
7. Let her choose her underwear and pull-ups, this will give her encouragement to be able to wear something she likes.
8. When she is out of diapers don't put them back on her. She needs to be able to feel wet. Diapers tend to pull moisture away and let her feel dry when she is not.
9. You may be doing more laundry than usual during this process but think of the money you will save on diapers.
10. If your little one does not have 24/7 access to the bathroom, purchase a mobile potty and put it in the same room she spends most of her time.
11. Reinforce positive behavior. Make a BIG deal when she successfully goes in the potty.
12. Put little to no emphasis on the negative or any accidents.
13. If you are comfortable, let her fallow Mommy into the bathroom to show her how the "big girls" do it.
14. Keep your cool. This can become frustrating but stay positive. Its a very big step for both you and
your little one.
This is the process I used to potty train my daughter and from diapers to underwear was only a 1 month process.
Every child is different and never compare your child's potty training progress to anyone else. I hope my advice helps out and enjoy the end result.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
About Me
Hi. My name is Angie.
I am a stay at home mom to 2 beautiful children and am happily married to my wonderful husband. I have a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and have chosen to put my career on hold while our children are young. However, I use my education in many ways in my day to day life. My family and I are located in Pittsburgh Pa where we love to spend time traveling, camping, hiking, and generally spending time together. Personally, I enjoy photography, reading, cooking, arts and crafts, social networking, and much more. I also like to write articles about topics that are interesting to me. So, if your interests include some of my own I hope you enjoy my blog. Thanks.
I am a stay at home mom to 2 beautiful children and am happily married to my wonderful husband. I have a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and have chosen to put my career on hold while our children are young. However, I use my education in many ways in my day to day life. My family and I are located in Pittsburgh Pa where we love to spend time traveling, camping, hiking, and generally spending time together. Personally, I enjoy photography, reading, cooking, arts and crafts, social networking, and much more. I also like to write articles about topics that are interesting to me. So, if your interests include some of my own I hope you enjoy my blog. Thanks.
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