Category Archives: Fun

The Switch Witch- what to do with halloween candy

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As Halloween approaches there is always the dilemma of  what to do with all the candy. Well, here is what I am going to do this year with my granddaughter’s haul complete with a “fairy  witch’s tale”.

Have you heard about the Switch Witch?  The Switch Witch is a great way to deal with all of that Halloween Candy.

The story goes like this: a child gets to eat all the candy they want up through Halloween night.  On Halloween night, before the child goes to bed, s/he lays out all their candy for the Switch Witch. The Switch Witch comes when they are asleep and takes the candy and switches it for a toy. Ta da! Cavity-creating candy is gone and desirable new toy is there instead!

via The Switch Witch- what to do with halloween candy | A Child Grows.

Germ phobia…

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Flying with small children sparks anxiety in the most unflappable parent. Aside from having to prepare food and activities to fill the endless hours of travel, we need to worry about the spate of superbugs lurking on every interior surface. Take a page from high wattage germ-o-phobe playbook and learn develop a cootie arsenal a la Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth, Katie Holmes, Jessica Alba and Matt Lauer. Best bets to keep you healthy at 32,000 feet?  Antiseptic spritzers, airline seat covers , portable air purifiers and a good old nasal spray.

via Katie Holmes part of THE NEW MILE HIGH CLUB | Hollywood Hot Moms.

If you are germ phobic you are not alone. Airplanes are loaded with bacteria and viruses but there are ways to thwart them.

We just traveled roundtrip to the East coast last week and two out of three of us got sick with viral infections that made our “vacation” miserable and carried over to our homecoming.

I, for one, am wondering if any of these suggestions would have helped stave off these ferocious viruses.

Just the thought of carrying any more “stuff” on board makes me crazy …never mind what those around me will be thinking when I begin wiping down my seat and covering it top to bottom with a barrier seat cover.

What do you think…would you be willing to do some “work” to clean the environs of your space on your next flight???

Do you think these suggestions would help prevent infection or do you think that you own immune system will take care of you?

Swimsuit Competition…

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“They might not even be in training bras yet, but for girls who shop at Abercrombie & Fitch, it’s never too early for a padded swimsuit.”

via Padded swimsuits for all? Abercrombie and Fitch marketing padded tops to young girls.

Abercrombie and Fitch has sunk to a new low with their marketing of padded swimsuit tops to young girls.

Abercrombie is sexualizing young girls with its new line of bathing suit tops, push ups…push up what at such a young age??

The news media is all over this one…some parents are not particularly concerned…their response simply is to just not buy this particular item.

The professionals that treat adults and children are not so quick to dismiss the discussion…they are concerned about the message young girls are getting about their bodies.

They are concerned that girls are becoming too concerned about their “packaging” rather than feeling good about themselves because of their accomplishments.

Okay…what can we do?

  • we can blog, Twitter and Facebook about Abercrombie’s marketing and advertising policies.
  • we can refuse to buy other items that Abercrombie sells
  • we can keep the discussion going and let Abercrombie know what we as parents will and will not tolerate when it comes to our pocketbooks as this is Abercrombie’s bottom line…PROFIT.

Parents and Travel….

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NOTEWORTHY WEDNESDAY!

I am traveling this week…West Coast …LA…. East Coast…Boston/RI…Midwest…Chicago….

Apropos that I would receive this March of Dimes update for the mom that travels.

Passing it on to the moms and dads.

“Way up in the sky mom…

Many working moms have to travel for their careers.  I traveled when my children were babies and still travel now that they’re school-aged.  I want to share my six tips for traveling working moms and pregnant moms-to-be too:

1.    Pack less: Don’t physically exhaust yourself from carrying heavy bags; especially if you’re a breastfeeding mom, traveling with baby.  I remember traveling with my daughter when she was a baby. With baby on board in one arm, I also toted my breast pump bag with the milk containers inside and placed my diapering essentials in my laptop bag.

2.    Check Baggage: Make it easier for yourself and check your non-essential baggage through the airline.  If I do this, I pack an extra set of clothing and my toiletries inside the carry on.  You also could pack a scarf in your carry on that will work for business attire and matches your extra clothing set.  If your checked baggage does not arrive you will be ok.

3.    Mom, use the crayons: A fun activity for you mom is to write your child a note with their favorite color crayons.  Then, have your caregiver in charge (a partner, grandma or your daycare provider) read and show it to them while you’re away.

4.    Connect with a click.  The caregiver in charge can introduce technology by sending you photos of your kids or scanning a drawing they created.  You also can use Webcams, Skype, email or “old-fashioned” voice mail to stay connected.

5.    Keep family schedules on track.  One lesson I learned is that life does not stop when mom is on business travel.  No matter what work commitments I have I keep my family rolling with their schedules.

6.    Say no to guilt.  One of the toughest things for mom is to get rid of that guilt.  Minimize negative thoughts and highlight positives. My kids’ favorite thing is pre-taped recorded bedtime stories.  The beauty in this is they can listen to my voice telling the story over and over.

What is one favorite tip you have for traveling working moms?

Tags: breastfeeding moms and travel, travel during pregnancy, working moms

via News Moms Need » Blog Archive » Way up in the sky mom….

When is it too old for the Men’s Locker Room???

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Noteworthy Wednesday!

via: Flickr: Heather Poole

I went swimming at the Y.M.C.A. Later, in the men’s locker room, a father walked in with his daughter. Occasionally, this happens with babies or toddlers, but the girl was 7 or 8. He put her in a shower stall while he showered, and left her there while he shaved and flossed. Then he brought her to the lockers, where they changed. I was appalled. What do you make of this?

via Too Old for the Men’s Locker Room – Social Q’s – NYTimes.com.

This question appeared in the Sunday NYTimes and it truly raised questions for me.

I have often thought about this dilemma especially when I see kids out for the day with their dads.

Interestingly, I don’t always think about this when I see kids with their moms!

But  back to dad and the “Y” locker room. This scene raises concerns for me…granted, I have not visited a men’s locker room but the women’s locker room is certainly an experience. Some women walk around naked, others cover-up as best they can…they usually do not spend any unnecessary time in the locker room…shower, change, pack up and leave. When young children are with their moms, from my observations, they get changed and leave in fairly short order most of the time.

For me, it seems this dad took entirely too much time while his daughter was hanging out in the men’s locker room.

My own “yuk” feeling is coming to the surface here. Exposing children to other naked adults, personally, makes me uncomfortable. I would have to think of another way of doing my toilette if I were in a similar situation.

  • What do you do when your opposite-sex child has to use a public restroom?
  • At what age should children be allowed to use the public restroom by themselves?
  • What public restrooms would make you think twice about letting your child use it without accompaniment?
  • More importantly…what do you teach them ahead of time to “protect” them.?
  • Do you teach your boys the same as you teach your girls?
  • Is this more of a “Dad Dilemma” than a “Mom Moment”?

Like I said, I used the “YUK” feeling factor to help me in these situations.

My feeling is by 7 or 8 years of age many kids have been in some type of locker room situation at school but “Y” locker rooms of the opposite sex seem to be an altogether different story.

It would be interesting to hear other responses to this issue and how parents deal with this common life situation.

Traveling with Kids…

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Noteworthy Wednesday!

Up In The Air

This is a funny post from another mommy blogger although it probably was not amusing when this situation was taking place.

It is a dilemma that I have never encountered or witnessed on any of my many flights.

I people watch all the time and observe children and the various behaviors that they exhibit, from which I may add, I learn a lot. I also like to see what activities parents bring on board to amuse their kids during a flight so that I might try these when I am flying with my grandchild.

But this  issue is one that can really be a problem when traveling with a potty trained toddler who is afraid of the bathroom on the plane.

I guess my response would be to try to prepare a child ahead of time for the noise in the bathroom and the look of  bathroom before even getting on the plane. I would also make sure that a child tries to use the bathroom in the airport before boarding.

Remember the roar of the engine noise seems even louder in the bathroom and any bumps could be scary, also the flushing sounds are somewhat disturbing to me  so I sympathize if they are afraid…it sounds like the suction could actually take you with it. That suction is also heard when you drain the sink as well so prepare the child and make it a game if you can. Perhaps even the fact that the toilet is metal may seem scary…it certainly is not as friendly looking as the little potty with “Dora “on it that they are using at home. “Dora” seat covers may help but it did no good for the poor child in this scenario.

One thing I do know is that I would not pursue it if my child had a bad reaction to the airplane bathroom and perhaps I would always carry a pull-up or two and a change of clothes until such time as his/her fear was resolved.

Have any of you had this experience with your child and if so what do you advise?

Traveling with Baby…

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Travel with Baby

Traveling with “Baby” is never easy but there are so many helpful items and suggestions in today’s market to make life easier.

I have one of those items in my bag. I think that it could be helpful for those times that you just need to grab something and you just cannot remember which pocket of the diaper bag it is located. So frustrating…

This is an item that you could use in many different configurations but if you want it for Thanksgiving travel you better order it soon.

Here it is.

It is call Cocoon by GRID-IT ….http://www.cocooninnovations.com/