Chronicles of a Babywise Mom

Pinteresting Fridays: Chore Charts

2012-01-27T10:00:00.001-07:00

Here are some great ideas for Chore Charts! I think mixing it up and having lots of different ways to manage chores makes the whole process more fun for all. Chore Chartby Contented Homemaker Free Printable Chore Chartsby Chorecharts.com Chore Door Hangerby ??? (Link to no where) Chore Chart by I Can Teach My Child Downloadable Chore Chartsby Brought to You by the Letter B And here are

The "D" Word

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

image source The D word. It gets a bad wrap these days. You say the word discipline and people seem to immediately imagine beatings with a metal rod. Discipline means nothing more than "to train." There are a lot of training methods out there--there are more variances than probably any other point in the history of humanity. Let me tell you something. Whether you like it or not, it is your

Poll Results: What was baby's independent playtime length at 6-7 months old?

2012-01-25T10:00:00.001-07:00

5-10 minutes once a day 2 (2%) 5-10 minutes twice a day 15 (16%) 10-20 minutes once a day 10 (11%) 10-20 minutes twice a day 39 (43%) 30-40 minutes 16 (17%) 40-50 minutes 1 (1%) 50-60 minutes 6 (6%) Votes so far: 89 RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS:Poll results independent playtime Reminder: You can leave comments on poll results posts if you would like to add to the poll after it has

Won't Stay in Independent Playtime

2012-01-24T10:00:00.002-07:00

I think just about every child goes through a time period when he or she tests the waters of getting out of independent playtime over and over again. Reasons can vary from not wanting to play to testing the boundaries when something new like potty training comes along. The question parents have is, what do you do about it? Make Sure Time is RightThere are times of day that are better for

Dropping 3rd Nap Impact

2012-01-23T10:00:00.001-07:00

image source Dropping the third nap (the evening nap) will impact the rest of your child's day. Dropping the third nap usually happens around 8 months of age, though the range is 6-11 months. On Becoming Babywise says, "Once the third nap is dropped, both waketime and often the other remaining naptimes will increase in duration" (page 133). This would mean that baby will likely be awake for

Colief Drops {Giveaway}

2012-01-21T08:00:00.001-07:00

I can't even begin to pretend to know what it is like to have a baby with colic, but I know many of you do. I do know what it is like to have a baby with reflux and a baby with severe gas, and I remember that I was willing to do whatever it took to help my baby be comfortable (you know, within safety). That is why I was very interested in doing a giveaway of this product on my blog. I hope the

Surprise Announcement!

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Click Here For Images Elmo Surprise Pictures - Pictures I have some exciting news to announce. I am pregnant! I am 8 weeks along and due in August. We have always planned on having (3-4) children if you are my husband and (4-5) if you are me. For a long time after McKenna was born, we wondered if we were done having children. Almost two years ago (so right before McKenna turned one), I was

Baby Whisperer Personality Types: Touchy Baby

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

The third personality type described by Tracy Hogg in her Baby Whisperer books is the touchy baby. None of my children have been touchy, so I can't offer personal insight, but here are the bits of information. This info is found in The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems on page 59. EATINGThese babies tend to get easily frustrated and don't like change in their eating environment. They

Positive Attitude Makes All the Difference

2012-01-18T10:00:00.001-07:00

image source I have been pondering lately why a second, third, fourth, etc. child seems to often be easier to the parent even if in reality the child is not easier. Of course a the reason we all go to is "experience." The parent is more experienced and knows better what to do. There is some truth to that, however, when I think of my children, they have all been very different. I can only think

Preschooler Summary: 4.75 Years Old

2012-01-17T10:00:00.001-07:00

This is a summary for Kaitlyn from 4.5-4.75 years old. EATINGAt the moment, and for most of this period, eating was just fine. She went through a two week period, however, where she didn't want to eat just about anything, even her reliable go-to favorites. She just didn't want to eat. This would normally be concerning, but I didn't feel like something was wrong. It seemed more like a toddler

Sometimes Breastfeeding Hurts

2012-01-16T10:00:00.001-07:00

image source Yes, there it is. I said it. I don't know how many times, including in On Becoming Babywise, I have read that if baby is latched correctly and everything is right then breastfeeding will not hurt. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr............ You know what actual, real live women say about breastfeeding? It hurts! Not always, not forever, but initially it will not necessarily feel good. There are so

52 Small Changes {Giveaway}

2012-01-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

For today's giveaway, I have something really cool for you. This is the book 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You. You know how I love baby steps for things? This book is 52 baby steps to improving yourself. Each week the book gives you an assignment of something to change, along with ideas for implementing, as well as the "why" behind it all. The book is simple, easily laid

Pinteresting Fridays: Fun Kid Food

2012-01-13T10:00:00.001-07:00

Like many of you, I am currently loving Pinterest. I love being able to use it to bookmark great ideas and then remember them--not forget them in the abyss of the Internet. This series will share some of my favorite Pinterest finds for different aspects in a parent's life. Today is on fun food to make for kids. Sandwhichesfrom the Hostess Blog Snowmen Hot Chocolateby Meet the Dubiens Healthy

10 Ways to Save Your Sanity

2012-01-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

As adorable, intelligent, sweet, kind, fun, loving, and all around perfect we find our children to be, there are still those moments when our children absolutely drive us to the brink of insanity. Some days you think you just might lose your mind. Some children push us there harder and faster than others. I love this quote, "A sweet and obedient child will enroll a father or mother only in

Poppet Baby Wear

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Poppet Baby Wear is a line based out of New Zealand available through ShoppingMoa.com. This site complies the best of baby products made in New Zealand and compiles them for your shopping convenience! You purchase through Amazon, which means you get not only their gaurentees, but their free shipping on orders over $25.00. From what I have heard, getting something shipped for free from New

Poll Results: WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOU AND NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS...

2012-01-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

I don't make them but think I should 7 (12%) I make them but stop trying by February 3 (5%) I make them and do my best to keep them 24 (43%) I make them but quit as soon as I fail once 4 (7%) Waste of Time 17 (30%) Votes so far: 55 RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS:Poll results goals Reminder: You can leave comments on poll results posts if you would like to add to the poll after it has

McKenna Summary: 33 Months Old

2012-01-10T10:00:00.003-07:00

McKenna is now 2.5 plus three months old. McKenna just loved Santa this year. She had no idea what Santa was supposed to do, but she loved him. My girls have some special spirit about them where they absolutely love the elderly (not to call Santa old...). I cannot tell you how many older people my girls have just made so happy. Most children are afraid of the older people who are wheel chair

Your Babywise Baby: First Year Overview

2012-01-09T10:00:00.001-07:00

Screen shot of the timeline I made for you Even when you have several children, it is easy to forget when to expect certain milestones. Here is a timeline of your baby's first year and what to expect when, along with what to implement when. This is just a guideline, not a set-in-stone rule sheet (yeah, "stone" and "sheet" aren't really compatible, but it gets my point across). There is a wide

New eBook Winner

2012-01-07T14:04:00.002-07:00

We have a new winner for the eBook: Summer! Congrats! Please contact me at valplowman@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Hobby Overview

2012-01-06T10:00:00.001-07:00

In a recent series about "How I Do It..." we talked about hobbies one week ( http://www.babywisemom.com/2011/10/how-i-do-it-hobbies.html). I thought it would be handy to list hobbies we do along with some information on what it takes to do that hobby. I will analyze the training required, money required, time it takes from family, and difficulty level. Obviously these are pretty subjective from

Make Reading Enjoyable

2012-01-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

image source In Reading Magic by Mem Fox, she talks about the importance of making reading something that is enjoyable to the whole family. She implores parents to make reading out loud to our children something we love. Not a should. How many times do we think, "Oh great, it is story time." Fox says to make it like chocolate (or whatever it is you love) (pages 10-11). Let's be real here.

Forgiveness in Marriage

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Photo by Brooke Snow Photography I think the nature of the marriage relationship means you are bound to be hurt at some point. You are opening yourself to loving someone, which means you are putting yourself in a vulnerable situation emotionally. You will be hurt whether intentionally or unintentionally. Forgiveness is healing. We need to seek forgiveness when we have done something wrong

Making and Achieving Goals

2012-01-03T10:00:00.001-07:00

image source--fabulous article on ways to set goals It is that time of year again! The time when most people set New Year's Resolutions--goals. Some people are cynical about New Year's Resolutions, proclaiming that by February first the goal is a thing of the past and is dropped in failure. While that may be true, I think it is important and good for people to make and achieve goals. You do

Top 10s

2012-01-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

When I was a teenager, one of my favorite things around New Year's was to watch the shows that counted down the "best of" that year. I thought it would be interesting to see what you readers like the best on this blog. This is over the course of the last 2.5 years. Top 10 Blog Posts #10 Dreamfeed FAQs #9 Consistent Schedule: Start Your Day Right #8 45 Minute Intruder #7 Newborn Evening

Merry Merry Christmas Break!

2011-12-22T10:00:00.001-07:00

I will be taking a break from posting to spend the Christmas break with my family. Normal posting will resume on Monday, January 2. Have a Merry Christmas a fabulous New Year! For your Christmas enjoyment, check out my cousin Artie Hemphill singing this original song. I promise you will love it (if you love country music--if not, you might love it :) ). Artie is my cousin's husband, but