Pardon My Poppet » Pardon My Poppet – Pip Squeaks from the Mummy-verse!

Skip the Shower to Save Time

Pardon My Poppet — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Okay, bear with me here. This one was my husband’s idea. I kinda laughed it off, but there may be something to it. Perhaps I don’t think that on a Frenzied Friday I should just, “don a ball cap and head out the door” as he suggested, but I can see showering the night before and doing your hair. Then you can choose to re-shower in the morning and just touch up your “do”, or if desperate for time, head out the door in a flash (Well, as much of a flash as you can with a toddler in tow).

Now he has also pointed out, quite correctly, that people used to skip showers all the time, and that if people did it more, less would notice! Seriously, where does he come up with it?

I also kinda laughed when he suggested a post on getting from bed and out the door in 10 minutes or less. I know he didn’t get that idea from living here! But he is a good brainstormer, and I thank him for his great “shower” of wisdom….ya see what I did there? Did ya?

Warmest regards,

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3D Cinematography (365 Days of Blessings – Day 193)

Pardon My Poppet — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I am thankful for 3D cinematography

It has come so far since I first saw Michael Jackson in Thriller at Epcot Centre in Florida! It is amazing what you can experience!

Warmest regards,

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I locked myself in the bathroom and cried….

Pardon My Poppet — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’ve written before about how tough I can find it to keep Poppet still and happy for 4 1/2 hours at a time (even though it is just once a week). The other day I hit my breaking point. She had done so well for the first 2 hours of services, and on the hour-long break she was full of energy and really tired. I tried so hard to get her to sleep for the other 1 1/2 hours, but she just couldn’t seem to fall asleep. The same old pattern emerged. Put her down, screaming, pick her up, screaming, try to nurse her, screaming, try to cuddle, screaming….. she doesn’t know what she wants, and I don’t know what to do to console her!

I can feel the eyes of all those around me, wondering why I can’t get her under control. Trust me, we’ve tried everything! So finally, this morning, I woke up, locked myself in the bathroom, and had a good cry. It felt great! It let all the pent-up frustration out, and gave me the starting point to try anew. The only way I see to fix the present situation is to hold her to put her to sleep for each daily nap, but that in itself makes for bigger problems on the day-to-day basis when she won’t then go to sleep on her own. It seems like a lose-lose situation, but I know it will get better (she has come so far already). I know if we hang in there that the effort will be rewarded in the long run! Until then, if you have any suggestions (other than the fact that it can’t be done) please leave your comments below!

Warmest regards,

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Our Babysitting Friends (365 Days of Blessings – Day 192)

Pardon My Poppet — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I am thankful for our Babysitting Friends

The other day Hubby and I went on our first date where Grandma did not babysit Poppet. Our friends offered to come and let us go see Titanic in 3D. Okay, I know you think it’s cheesy, but it came out the day we were married, and I love 3D. Watching it was absolutely gut-wrenching. At first it was really cool because you were experience the masterpiece of Titanic the ship. Then it was horrific as you lived through the events going on all around you! If you haven’t seen it, it is really well done.

When we returned home, Poppet was not screaming, but was actually sitting on her “uncle’s” lap at the piano. Given, he looked a little more than tired, but they were wonderful with her! Can’t wait to do it again!

Warmest regards,

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How to Mat Train Your Child – #Parenting

Pardon My Poppet — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I’m sure some of you are not going to agree with this post and think it quite barbaric. That being said, there are definite moments in our life when we need Poppet to sit still and stay fairly quiet. In my husband’s work as a minister, there have been many time when we are at someone’s home and he is discussing serious issues. To have Poppet running around, trying to keep her out of everything would be distracting to say the least. The easiest way we have found to deal with this is to have her mat trained. It saves us all a lot of tears in the end and allows for everyone to enjoy themselves.

What is mat training?

In its simplest form, mat training is just having your child sit for certain amounts of time on a mat. When they see the mat they go to it and stay on it until the mat is put away.

Why would you want to mat train?

Well, as I mentioned, sometimes you need them to be still and quiet. Other times you need to keep them safe. If I go to someone’s house and they are not child-proofed, I can spend the entire time chasing Poppet, trying to keep her away from stairs, electrical outlets, pets or breakables, or I can simply pull out her mat, ask her to sit on it and let her (an us) enjoy a relatively stress free time!

I’ll give you a recent example. I had to drive an hour and a bit to where we bought our van to have a repair done at the dealership. When we got there, I had to wait 2 hours. I pulled out Poppet’s mat, put it in a corner out-of-the-way and she played for almost 1 1/2 of those 2 hours before she had reached her limit. Then we had lunch and headed home. During this time I had a gentleman come up and ask me how I got her to do that. He was amazed because he had a 2-year-old at home and both he and his wife were frustrated at how quickly he was into everything – and they were at a loss as to how to deal with the constant frustration. I relayed this story on to my sister who suggested I put into a post how I went about mat training Poppet. So here goes!

Steps for mat training:

1) Place a mat on the floor.

2) Place your child on the mat. (I started around 8 or 9 months old before Poppet was crawling)

3) If your child tries to leave the mat, return them to it. Tell them to stay. Keep doing this until they remain on the mat. The first day there were many tears and it took 1/2 an hour to get Poppet to stay on the mat. As soon as she did I praised her and only had her stay there a couple of minutes. I increased this amount of time gradually, to where she can now stay on it for up to 2 hours when needed.

4) Have a bag of snacks, toys, books, crayons, paper, etc. that ONLY comes out when the mat is out. It makes the mat a special place to be. NEVER use these items at any other time or they will lose their novelty.

5) Around 1 years old you can start to introduce the concept of quiet to your child. Before then they really do not grasp it. It is really cute as Poppet will go down hallways saying “shh, shh, shh”. Anytime she gets overly loud on the mat all I have to do is say, “Poppet, say shhh” – and a little finger will raise to her mouth, her little lips pucker, and out comes a tiny “shh”. It’s priceless. At 18 months she has only just really mastered the art of staying quiet as well as staying on the mat.

6) Be diligent! I try to do 20 minutes of mat training every day (or every other day at least).

That’s all there is too it! Okay, it takes a bit of work, but trust me, it is worth every minute!

What do you do when you need your children to be quiet or still? Do you bribe them, do you have a special place for them to go (besides time out :-) , do you praise them? Would love to hear your ideas and suggestions!

Warmest regards,

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Doors Open (365 Days of Blessings – Day 191)

Pardon My Poppet — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I am thankful for Doors Open

No, I don’t mean open doors. Doors Open is when a town or city opens the doors to some of their attractions to the public for free for the day. I’ve participated both in Doors Open Hamilton and Doors Open Guelph. Each time I get to experience something I just might not afford otherwise.

Warmest regards,

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Wandering Wednesday Blog Hop – May 15-21

Pardon My Poppet — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:24:57 +0000

It’s that time of the week again! Feel free to link up and visit new friends!

How to make the most from the Wandering Wednesday Blog Hop:

1) Make sure your link is family friendly. (Enter your blog title where it says “Name”)

2) Take the time to visit some new friends and let them know you came from PMP’s Wandering Wednesday.

3) You can share this post through Twitter and Facebook to attract more hoppers!

4) Please add our button in a sidebar or a post. (Not mandatory, but greatly appreciated as it helps spread the word.)

You can find the code over there ————————->

That’s it! Easy Peasy!

Warmest regards,

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Magnifying the Universe – Interactive Infographic!

Pardon My Poppet — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

This is one amazing, interactive infographic. I wonder, when I see this, with the precise layout and timing of it all, how some think it all came from chaos! What a beautiful space we live in! Make sure to view the interactive one in full screen. Below it you will find the static infographic image.

Warmest regards,

It is hard to measure the universe because not every portion is observable. There are vast portions of the universe that have not been discovered or seen by the human eye. They have not yet been reported on or recorded. Still, the portion of the universe we do know is amazing.

Have you ever stopped to contemplate how well the universe works for something of its size? To fly across the world, someone would take over 111 trillion years. Better get well prepared for that space trip. If this is too long enough for you, then you might try flying across the Andromeda. This would take you over 263 billion years, though, so you better make sure that your suitcase is extra sturdy.

Getting ready to fly across the earth? After reading this, you may be thinking that it’s the easiest trip you’ll ever make. You may be right, but remember that our earth is still over 12 million meters in diameter. Buckle in, you will have a long trip ahead of you.

Source: Number Sleuth

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Canadian TV Shows (365 Days of Blessings – Day 190)

Pardon My Poppet — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

I am thankful for Canadian TV Shows

And if you don’t think you know any…..Corner Gas, Flashpoint, Murdoch Mysteries just to name a few. You may just be thankful for them too!

Warmest regards,

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Poppet’s Pick Blogs for the Week of May 14th, 2012!

Pardon My Poppet — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:03:45 +0000

This week’s blogs are great finds! Thanks to all who continue to nominate your favourites. As always, feel free to submit the best of the best for their own Poppet’s Pick Blog Award!

FOOD

Okay, so I’m starting with my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE blog this week. Pamela’s Heavenly Treats is a feast for the taste buds, the eyes and the mind! I drool like one of Pavlov’s dogs just hearing that she’s posted something new (which is, you know, all the time!). Today’s special is home-made strawberry ice cream. Perfect for those ripe little berries!

CRAFTS

I have a crush on Coffee Girl Crafts, it’s true! The site is whimsical, the vibe is genuine, and her tutorials are amazing! There just doesn’t seem to be anything this girl can’t do! I can’t wait to put together my own bubble magnets on our next rainy day!

DAD BLOG/TECHNOLOGY

Huh? Yep, that’s right! This guy does both, and does both really well! High Tech Dad does everything from gadgets to cars, how to’s and even some parenting on the side!

FAMILY

Home Grown Families is a blog chronicling the journey into natural living of one family. It’s captivating and entertaining! By the way, LOVE the theme!

HOME

The pictures at Restyled Home are airy, inviting and light. You feel like you could just move right on in! Anything you want to do with your home, you are bound to be able to find great tips and tricks here!

BLOGGING

This week’s pick is Pro-Blogger. You will find everything you ever needed to know about blogging on this site from setting up WordPress, installing a theme, all the way through to making money doing what you love – blogging!

That’s a wrap for this week! If you run across any exceptional picks that you would like to see featured, just drop me a line!

Warmest regards,

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