Weekend Pick from Parenting in the Loop

Posted on February 28, 2016 by llpitlwp

Weekend Pick from Parenting in the Loop

Weekend water play

Imprinting, psychological definition:

A remarkable phenomenon that occurs in animals, and theoretically in humans, in the first hours of life. The newborn creature bonds to the type of animals it meets at birth and begins to pattern its behavior after them. In humans, this is often called bonding, and it usually refers to the relationship between the newborn and its parents.

It’s Sunday but I had to share this cute little video as my pick for this weekend

A Little Girl and Her Duck

This little story has really made me smile and has warmed my heart. Seeing a duckling attach to a child and a young child attach to a duck speaks volumes about the importance of human attachment.

FEBRUARY 26, 2016, 6:56 PM|A 5-year-old in Maine has an inseparable bond with her duck. Not a toy duck — a real, live duck. She believes she is the duck’s mom, and vice versa. Steve Hartman went “On the Road” to meet this dynamic duck duo.
Source: Duck pals: A girl and her duck – Videos – CBS News

Weekend Pics from Parenting in the Loop

Posted on February 19, 2016 by llpitlwp

Weekend Pics from Parenting in the Loop

Spices of Life

I am really into decluttering. But I find it a totally frustrating experience at best. Devoting any of my precious hard earned time on any given Saturday or Sunday is definitely not something I relish.

Do you feel the same way?

OR…

Are you already super organized?

Are you a weekend warrior and love projects like these?

I loved this post in the New York Times. Both of these women and their approaches appeal to me. So I am already stuck, when it comes to organizing my kitchen space.

Two Cooks, Two Kitchens, Two Organizing Plans

Do different cooks need different approaches to organizing the kitchen?

I wasn’t the only one who was feeling the need for a kitchen makeover. Margaux Laskey, my partner in the Kids Cook column, was having similar thoughts. Although we’re both working parents who love to cook, we’re in different places in our lives: She’s the mother of a baby and a preschooler, while my kids are older (9, 10, 11 and 14). Her kitchen is small, mine is the big country version. Did we also need different approaches to a kitchen clean-out?

On one hand I don’t think I could stand to have everything out of my cabinets and exposed so it would be hard for me to choose the first plan. On the other hand I like the outcome even if it took almost 10 days to achieve.

The second approach is more appealing because there seems to be a more immediate gratification in having one part of my kitchen organized even if it is just the spice cabinet.

Neither one of these is a weekend project for me.

Over the years I have tried decluttering and one of the things I simplified was my wardrobe. That was about 15 years ago and at this point it is in severe need of a revisit.

Our house has been the home at any given time for 4 generations of our family and we have only lived here for 20 or so years. There are many things that evoke memories of times and people gone by. It is not so easy to “dispose” of these memory charged things. It feels like I am actually throwing away my past even though I know that it not true.

I love the fact that I can take photos of the things before I give them away and those photos can be store readily stored on my computer literally forever. I know my mother would not want me to be a slave to saving her things unless it was something that brought me true joy when I wore it or looked at it. I have to keep this in mind.

I can truly tell you I will not be decluttering this weekend since I prefer to procrastinate.

What will you be doing?

Donna’s Day for Childhood Cancer

Posted on February 16, 2016 by llpitlwp

Donna’s Day for Childhood Cancer

The thing that my instructor made sure we all understood as pediatric nursing students was this ONE fact…

Children are not little adults especially when they are sick.

We must treat them differently.

I have never forgotten this

It is why I support

St. Baldrick’s

and

Donna’s Day

St Baldrick’s raises money to fund research for Kids Cancer!

Research that is key to curing kids cancer.

Treatments for kids should be specialized for kids. Just imagine if this were the case, 30% more kids would survive.

That is a reason alone to search for specific treatments for kids. If it were a child of yours, you would want those treatments.
When a kid gets cancer, it may be in the white blood cells, in the nervous system, in the brain or bones, in the lymphatic system, muscles or kidneys.

It happens to be that, (ALL), Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer.

In the 1950s, almost all kids diagnosed with cancer died.

Because of research,

today about 90% of kids with the most common type of cancer will live. But for many other types, progress has been limited, and for some kids there is still little hope for a cure.

In the early 70’s as a student nurse, I took care of Jeffrey, a little boy with ALL. He was hospitalized at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC.

Jeffrey received state of the art treatment for ALL in 1971, which was chemotherapy. Despite treatment at one of the finest pediatric centers Jeffrey died at age four, leaving his dad, mom and younger sister brokenhearted.

Today, I can’t help but think as I write this post, little Jeffrey would have survived with a long term remission or even a cure. I am hopeful that we can provide remissions and cures for other kids’ cancers. I would like to see no more kids die like sweet little Donna and Jeffrey.

There are very specific differences between adult and kids cancer:

Adult cancers can be diagnosed early where kids cancers have already spread by the time diagnosis is made.

Some cancers never strike after the age of 5.

Other cancers occur most often in teenagers.

There are over a dozen types of childhood cancers and countless subtypes.

About 60% of all funding for drug development in adult cancers comes from pharmaceutical companies.

For kids? Almost none, because childhood cancer drugs are not profitable.

Sad but true, it is about profits!

Donna’s Day 2016

In Chicago we’re having a St. Baldrick’s Event to raise money to fund research in hopes that one day no child will have to fight cancer.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity that funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government.

You can be involved by donating, signing up to be a participant, fundraising, volunteering, and attending.

Join us on the event day to celebrate Donna’s spirit, meet Mary Tyler Mom and family, and gather with others who have been truly touched by their little girl’s story. We look forward to your participation this year.

Won’t you join us?

A St. Baldrick’s Event

Source: Donna’s Good Things at Candlelite Chicago | A St. Baldrick’s Event

Weekend Pics from Parenting in the Loop

Posted on February 6, 2016 by llpitlwp

Weekend Pics from Parenting in the Loop

Welcome back!

Do you play catch up on the weekend? This weeks pics are short and sweet to read while you take a much needed break from the weekday routines.

Baths…are they really necessary every day for kids? What is the routine in your house? Do you wash your child’s hair every time they shower or take a bath? I never really thought about this too much but it must be a topic of discussion so here are some guidelines.

My grandmother told me that back in the day Saturday night was bath night and their tubs were in the kitchen because they had to heat their own bath water on the stove. That was tenement living in NYC in the early 1900’s.

Contrary to popular belief, babies don’t need daily baths, according to Laura Jana, MD, spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). It’s not until they begin crawling around in sandboxes and other places, and start eating solid foods, that they get dirty enough to merit a full-body wash. “Bathing is really necessary only to clean your child off when she gets dirty,” pediatrician David Gellar, MD, told BabyCenter.

Source: Do Kids Really Need a Bath Every Day? The Great Debate

How do you promote creativity in your children and grandchildren? This week I read that kids are better off with lots of arts and crafts in their play space than a bunch of toys. I would not argue with that except there are definitely toys that creative while being fun. I am thinking about STEM ‘toys’ in particular robots like Dash and Dot, and Legos. How does your weekend stack up when it comes to creativity?

Re “How to Raise a Creative Child” (Sunday Review, Jan. 31): What Adam Grant says about the relationship between freedom and creativity is so true. But now I fear that the tiger moms and dads will decide that they can mass-produce creative children merely by cutting back on rules and letting their children follow their hearts. I would argue that the sources of creativity are deeper than that: Creative children tend to have creative parents who encourage and value creativity in their offspring.

Source: On Freeing a Child to Be Creative – The New York Times

This is a great short article about kids and money and the effects of managing it even at an early age and keeping the conversations about spending alive as the years go on. A very worthwhile read even for adults who have money/materialism issues.

Children are ever-changing beings, but when it comes to money and materialism, too many parents think that their older offspring are not malleable at all.

Here are the 6 Steps:

Foundation
Conversation
Wants and Needs
Keeping Score
Money Mentor
Keep Money Conversation Alive with Children During the Years Ahead

Source: Six Steps to Curb Materialism in Your Kids – The New York Times

Okay…now I know this is Super Bowl Weekend, so enjoy if you that is your thing. I like the commercials and the snacks! What about you?

Baby Development at 5 Months

Posted on February 1, 2016 by llpitlwp

Your Baby Development at 5 Months

Homing in on sounds Your baby now realizes where sounds come from, and he’ll turn quickly toward a new one. One of the easiest ways to engage him is to jingle a set of keys.

Things your baby might enjoy

Wind chimes
His own name may cause him to turn and look at you
Your baby is learning language from you not from tv or radio
Your baby has a growing range of emotions

He is expressing emotions but not in any complex manner. His sense of humor and his ability to show love are just developing. He can really tell you when he is angry and bored.

Your baby also shows a strong attachment to you by raising his arms when he wants to be picked up and by crying when you leave the room. He may also give you hugs and kisses.

He’ll laugh at your funny expressions and he’ll try to make you laugh too.

Remember always that your baby is an individual and accomplishes these milestones on his own schedule.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breastfed exclusively for at least six months – though parents will attest that some babies are eager and ready to eat solids earlier.

More Baby Development:-Starting solids is always a real milestone for baby and for parents. How, what, when are the questions that come up now.

baby development 5 months

How will you know when your baby is ready for solid food?

Here are cues to look for in baby development that will tell you he is ready to try some solid food.

Head control-being able to keep his head in a upright steady postion

Losing his “extrusion reflex”-he will have to stop pushing food out of his mouth with his tongue

He will have to sit well when supported. Even though he might not be ready for a high chair he needs to be able to be sitting upright to swallow well.

Chewing motions. Your baby’s mouth and tongue develop in sync with his digestive system. To start solids, he should be able to move food to the back of his mouth and swallow. As he learns to swallow efficiently, you may notice less drooling – though if your baby’s teething, you might still see a lot of drool.

When he is at least 4 months old and has doubled his birth weight or weighs about 15 pounds.

He seems hungry even after getting formula or breast fed his regular feeding.

He is curious about what you are eating.