Mommies Home has been going through some changes, both in style and now in some of the content as well. Since the birth of my son, the amount of time I can spend on the computer has dropped substantially. With a newborn, a rambunctious two year old and a very busy seven year old, things were down to a crawl. But just like any mom, I’m pretty much back to a good rhythm.

A few months ago I was finding it hard to get a shower in every other day or even do menial tasks around the house. Then our whole family came down with H1N1. Took me out of the game for almost two full weeks. But now I have my routine down to where I can get a workout in everyday, get the house work done, make dinner and even get a shower in. I also am able to devote more time to the blog, which I have missed quite a bit.

All of that being said, I’ve changed the layout of the blog and also will be changing some of the content to be more on target with my subject matter. Hope you all enjoy!

Carrots were the first on the list, as you should start kids on veggies before fruits. Babies will like fruit because of the sweetness, so it may make it harder when it comes time for veggies if that’s all they know.

Well today my little one was looking so sad at the lunch table, eyeing his brothers food, that I decided to pull out the fresh food feeder and see how he did with a banana. They are just mesh pouches that allow babies to suck on the food without risk of any choking at all.

He loved it. Of course he didn’t really understand what he was doing, just that whatever he was sucking on was tasting good. Anyhow, I would recommend trying them if you have a wee one ready for food!

This year we did a few things to save some bucks. First of all we are going to reuse a few of her supplies from last year. Her backpack was in very good shape from the year before so we are using the same one. That saves us some money right off the bat. We are also saving on pencil cases and a few of the reusable items.

Now for the other hand, there are items that must be bought new. Stores become quite competitive this time of year with school suppy wars. Just checking a few circulars will give you the information you’ll need to choose the best places to shop. Keep in mind that dollar stores could have what you are looking for at a fraction of the price.

Our school supply shopping this year ended up being very cheap! I didn’t feel the hit to the pocket book as much a years past…

Ideas? Let me know!

- Too much stuff – Our daughter is out of town right now, so we have to pack her room when she’s gone. Honestly, she has WAY too much! From 4 large trashbags full of stuffed animals to boxes full of trinkets, broken toys and pieces of scrap paper. The only solution I have is to toss what you can and donate as much as possible!

- For every 2 boxes I pack, my 2 year old is unpacking one – I have to pack when I can, which is usually when the toddler is around. Making him a part of the box I’m packing helps to curb the curiosity on the boxes I’ve already finished.

- The fact that the toys are suddenly “gone” – When you pack them, they just disappear to the kiddos. I just tell the little one that the toys need to go night night in the boxes for a while, that seems to work!

These are just a few of the small obsticles we are hitting, I’m sure there will be way more!

The creators of Your Baby Can Read might be on to something. Now I don’t think it’s their program, but it’s the science behind the program. Infants have thousands of pathways in their brain being formed at very high rates, which is the time that they are learning and absorbing. That being said, it would follow that the time when they are the most “sponge like” would be when they are very little.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that getting my 5 month to read his own bedtime story is even something I’d want, I would like to have him be able to express himself as early as possible. I’ve used baby signing with my older boy and he still uses it (usually when his mouth is to full to actually talk).

Reading to your baby does more than increase their IQ and communication skills, it increases the bond and security your baby has with you. It will be interesting to see if this takes off and we get some kids reading whole books before their second birthdays…

Since this is my second child, it doesn’t bother me at all, but guess what…it used to. With my first son, there came a point where the same comments were made. He had large rolls of fat on him, I look at pictures now and am amazed. But when people made comments, it truly worried me.

Was I feeding him too much, was he just a really large baby, was I doing something wrong. Now I view it much differently. Having a chubby baby, in my humble view point, is a wonderful thing!

As long as a baby stays within the acceptable limits of weight (set only by your pediatrician), then there isn’t much to worry about. The extra weight can also be a help if your child gets sick, as children tend to lose weight when they are ill.

So now when people comment on my chubby baby I just comment back, “Ya, isn’t it beautiful!”

Upon thinking about it, I could see both sides of the current argument going on surrounding this. On one hand, there is a child that could possibly be saved by having this done (or should I say have “more” done, as he’s already gone through some treatments). Isn’t it our duty to help and protect life?

Then again, the other side of the argument is the one I relate to more. The boys parents state that it is against their religious beliefs to have their son continue. Honestly, I’m sure it is a horrible experience to watch your child under go that type of procedure. I’m not sure what I’d do if my religion had strong views against this type of thing, in addition to watching my child suffer.

What would you do? I do think this woman loves her son deeply, what a impossible decision to make. I stand by my view that I don’t think its our place to tell her what she should do, but again, I’m not in that situation… Let me know what you think!

I remember being a kid and the days started getting longer and longer. The hotter it got outside, the less chance of me caring what was going on in school. This went not only for elementary school but all the way through college.

So before you know it the kids will be climbing the walls of your homes looking for something to do. Do you have a plan?

Now is the time to get the kiddos in swimming lessons, or any structured activity for that matter. The rec centers are full of classes for the kids during the summer.

What’s Mommies plan of action? I plan on having something planned for every day. Whether it be taking a walk around the neighborhood or painting, we’ll have something planned.

Got some good ideas? Share em!

But things are much different now, as my children have a TV, DVD player, DS and who knows what else. I have memories of playing Mad Libs with my brother, listening to my fathers music (which became favorites of mine) and reading books to pass the time.

These things seem long gone now, as technology has replaced finding eye spy with your children. So are my kids lucky? Yes and no. I think I was lucky to not have the technology and just have my family as entertainment. I mean you’ll never hear “I remember back in 09 playing this great game of Mario on my DS…”

So far I like it a lot. One cool feature is that I might be able to blog remotely. I guess we’ll see if that actually works well or not.

With the three kids now, it should be easier to blog if I do it on the run!