“Tangled”…no not the movie!

Posted on June 4, 2012 by llpitlwp

A Girl with a Watering Can

“Tangled” maybe a great Disney Movie about Rapunzel, but at home with a preschooler “tangled hair” is a nightmare. On vacation it can even be worse.

My goals managing “tangled” hair go way back to my own person problems with coiffed curls that would never quite cooperate.

No pain
Brush or comb every day
No “bed head” outside of the house except in emergencies
Be satisfied with less than perfection when a pre-schooler is involved

Recently…like last night, I came across this… “a tangled hair post”.

Personally, I intend to try out some of the suggested products to make my life as a doting grandmother and my granddaughter’s life more pleasant went it comes to hair creations!

I am wondering what other suggestions you might have…when it comes to “Tangled” in your home?

Keeping it Clean

Circle of Moms member Jyothi J. has a good answer to this dilemma. Her secret is keeping her child’s hair very clean; dirty hair seems to be more resistant to tangling in the first place. Many moms recommend looking for shampoos and other hair care products that are chemical-free or formulated to be gentle for kids, who might get them in their eyes.

How to Deal with Your Preschoolers Tangled Hair – Circle of Moms.

Week in Review – Parenting in the Loop…”Christine Coppa is Back”

Posted on June 1, 2012 by llpitlwp

Today is June 1 ….so Christine Coppa is back with a new blog at Babble-Kids.

She will be my only recommendation in Week in Review…from Parenting in the Loop.

I have spoken of her in the past… she is remarkable and is so much more than a single mom…please join me in welcoming her to Babble-Kids.

Single Mom Blogger On Babble Kids | Kid Scoop.

Life… measured by the glass….

Posted on May 31, 2012 by llpitlwp

A more classical definition from the Mayo Clinic: “Optimism is the belief that good things will happen to you and that negative events are temporary setbacks to be overcome.”

A Richer Life by Seeing the Glass Half Full – NYTimes.com.

I am a glass full person…although I am fairly realistic about what I can actually accomplish in any given day. There is no end to the list of my things to do on my personal “bucket list”

Having a successful blog is one of my to do’s. The question that looms in my head is, “How does one measure a blog’s success?”

Is it by numbers of readers, numbers of comments, quality of discussions or is by what the writer, in this case me, derives from publishing meaningful content on a regular basis.

There are many blogs that I admire and enjoy. The reason I read these blogs is because they are well written and I enjoy what the writers have to say. Some of these blogs are “mom” blogs…they talk about family, parenting, they share personal stories and pictures…they are sort of autobiography crossed with a personal diary. I find these blogs entertaining, heartwarming and sometimes heart wrenching.

Some other favorite blogs of mine are photographic ones…by talented amateur photographers…then there are the blogs that are educational.

I always need to be educated about something…social media, blogging, medicine, parenting, etc.

What are some of your favorite blogs…why do you read them and if you write one why do you do it?

Staying Connected…

Posted on May 30, 2012 by llpitlwp

As a grandparent, who spends a fair amount of time with my own granddaughter, there are times when I am exhausted but I don’t want to give in to the tiredness nor do I want to melt down when she melts down.

I find myself reading “mom blogs” which are comforting…since the moms are quite a few years younger than I and they feel exactly the same way I do at times.

I remember often feeling totally destroyed as a young mom of two under two…I had a few friends with whom to commiserate on the wall phone with the ultra long cord that practically went all around the house with me as I talked and chased my girls. No cell phones or wireless for this 1980’s mom. No internet …no instant messages that could issue an SOS around the world on Twitter or other social media.

But thank God for social media at this stage of my life as a grandmother… it is very comforting to read other moms “daily” comings and goings and all that they do to keep sane.

This morning, I found this post on my Facebook page…it was a much needed one. I am on vacation from my home in Chicago…I am supposed to relax at the seashore for 5+ days. Now, I am not complaining but when you are with a 3 year old it is harder to find those much needed relaxing moments.

I share the following with all of you in hopes that it will help when you are exhausted some day…you don’t even need to have kids or be a grandmother to use the tips in this article.

What do you do to relax and stay connected with your kids and grandkids when your energy is tapped out?

Connecting with Kids When You’re Exhausted.

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Carl Bard

In Memory of Marina Keegan…

Posted on May 29, 2012 by llpitlwp

Today, I want to honor Marina Keegan, a young writer who recently graduated from Yale but sadly died in a car crash this past weekend. What a special talent she possessed…what a special daughter, granddaughter, sibling and friend she must have been!

A tragic loss of a young life…a writer that we will never get to really know…

KEEGAN: The Opposite of Loneliness | Cross Campus | Yale Daily News.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-marina-keegan-news-brief

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/sep/09/keegan-song-special/?weekend

Lazy Days of Summer…

Posted on May 28, 2012 by llpitlwp

As summer vacation is about to begin our children and grandchildren will have some days that will be free and easy without much of a structured schedule. That is a beautiful time for parents, grandparents and kids to do some fun spur of the moment activities.

Free time is wonderful in many ways. It is such a good opportunity to play using your imagination. I find too much structure can dampen a child’s natural imaginary play. For me it is all about balance…structured planned activities mixed with activities that push the imagination…the outcome of this can be amazing.

Sometimes it is a stretch for me to get my imagination to wake-up. Having a grandchild is a blessing…allowing he/she to take control of certain aspects of an activity can really stimulate the creative juices.

I am going to try to incorporate a little imagination each day in the ordinary-

Food creations – This can start with breakfast..make pancakes and let everyone decorate their own with fruit…lunch creations… make a picnic…let everyone help put together the picnic basket with foods from each food group…dinner creations …decide a menu together and make it together, again using the food groups.
Exercise – This one is a little harder for me as a grandparent… but balls are a great way to get kids to run around and bubbles are fun also.We get a lot of mileage out of both of these in our yard… if we get the dogs outside it is even more fun.
Reading – Story reading is quiet afternoon activity for us… when it is too hot to be outside. Sometimes, we make up our own stories looking at the pictures that we took that day or old photos from Christmas or other holiday. Picture taking is so easy these days…I try to make the most of it!

Summer is a wonderful time to have some fun…all you need is your imagination and your child or grandchild!

What are some of your summer activities with the kids in your life?

How do you use “free time”?

Spammers…

Posted on May 27, 2012 by llpitlwp

I really hate spam comments … and for those who post spam I will forever keep deleting them

Please stop posting to my comment section if you really have nothing to comment about with the hope of my publishing them.

If you all you want is to be annoying you have accomplished that so now you can stop.

Conversations in the Loop…

Posted on May 25, 2012 by llpitlwp

I am starting some video “Conversations” in the Loop…

To be continued…

Conversations in the Loop

Parenting in the Loop…Week in Review

Posted on May 25, 2012 by llpitlwp

Here are my pick reads for the week…

Have a nice weekend…

You could argue that women have never been able to easily access the “birthing experience” they desired. The old days of childbirth, fraught with risk to mother and baby, were followed by a variety of innovations, some more welcome than others. In her story on Ina May Gaskin and the home birth movement, “Mommy Wars: The Prequel,” in this coming weekend’s New York Times Magazine, Samantha M. Shapiro writes that women once fought to move birth “out of the domain of midwives and the home and into the hospital:”

How Can We Bring Trust Back to Childbirth? – NYTimes.com.

What do you do when you discover that diabetes is also a disease that strikes children even babies?

Our Baby Has Diabetes – Parenting.com.

Do you feel like helping this little one when you watch this video? I did! #guilty

Don’t Help This Baby | Janet Lansbury.

What Every Parent and Grandparent Should Know…

Posted on May 24, 2012 by llpitlwp

This video and post could be one of the most important ones that any parent reads or watches, especially if you ever have to take your baby or child to an emergency room.

We all know that Emergency Rooms are not all created equal… and that is something that should concern any adult who takes a sick baby or child to a hospital in an emergency situation.

Why???

Apparently, there is no standardization for how equipped an ER needs to be when it comes to caring for children. Sadly, this can prove and has proven fatal for some babies and young children.

I have recently learned about the R Baby Foundation and it mission to save babies lives by improving pediatric ER care.

I hope you will read about this Foundation. Baby R’s story is heart wrenching. It is my hope that Baby R’s parents are able to derive some solace knowing that they are helping to make life saving health care available to all babies and children.

Our Mission

R Baby Foundation is the first and only not-for-profit foundation uniquely focused on saving babies lives through improving pediatric emergency care.

R Baby Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that babies, including those in the first month of life suffering from viral infections and other infectious diseases, receive the highest quality of care and service through supporting life-saving pediatric training, education, research, treatment and equipment.