Feeling Not So Groovy

 

Photo Courtesy of Pedyalite.com

This week started off with a hurl, literally. Yes, I was awake most of Sunday night and Monday morning. Not because I had jet lag from a dream vacation, nor from watching the very first season of Mad Men. My 5 year old had a stomach bug and released her entire macaroni and cheese dinner everywhere but in the designated “barf bucket”. I felt so bad for her, and than I started to feel bad. Yes, I also shared the very same stomach bug with her.

Thankfully, we had pedialyte in the house. Even with that, I was having the hardest time getting my other two kids up, fed, dressed and off to school. I kept thinking about how bad I felt, but also how people can feel that sick all of the time. Not just parents, but children. I wanted to badly somebody to take care of us me. I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep for a few hours that morning. As we all, parents do not get a day off!

What I had was a stomach bug, something that I could get over eventually. My daughter had already started to get back to her normal spunky self by 10:00am. I was so relieved, however, I couldn’t help but think about children with illnesses that don’t feel well so quickly.

There is something about being sick that really puts you in the moment. It is bad when it happens to an adult, even worse when it happens to a child. Shouldn’t a child be laughing and having fun? This past evening, 180 campers and counselors from the Chai Lifeline family smiled and danced all weekend in Queens, NY. The counselors, families, and volunteers from this incredible organization brought smiles to the Queens community as well. I had the opportunity to see this in action. Saturday evening, a tent that felt like a room was filled with food, party hats, and happiness. Two very special musical personalities in the Jewish world joined the fun as well. Lipa Shmeltzer and Yaakov Shwekey sang while the follow was full of jumping and clapping. All of this by children that have been sick and well, and sick again. Some children were in wheelchairs, others had breathing machines with them at all times. No matter what illness they may be suffering from, they laughed and smiled the entire evening.

Even when I might not be feeling well one day, I start to feel much better knowing that Chai Lifeline is out there helping families and their children going through the challenges that these situations can create for the entire family. Thank you Chai Lifeline and thank you incredible volunteers!

 

Passover Cleaning With Meaning: It’s All About The Kids

The Seder plates have been cleared and the matzo pieces swept up from under the table. This year was a very busy Passover for my family. Not only did we have to prepare or home (remove all traces of baked goods with flour) my husband and I organized a Passover Seder for 50 people. This was not in our home, but down the street in a large function room. The best part of all of this is the amount of fun my kids had before, during, and after the Seder.

For the past couple of weeks, my 4 year old daughter has been bringing home all parts of the Passover Seder  in her back pack. She learned to sing Mah Nishtanah (the four questions) and her own Passover Haggadah (a kid friendly version she made herself).  I was so happy to see her learn so much about Passover, and have fun in the process. She brought her Passover Haggadah to our Seder and followed along (at least for the four questions), my heart was melting.

While my husband and I searched for every last cherrio, she colored enthusiastically in her Passover coloring book. In an effort not “passover” any crumbs, we used our list from the previous year: clean car, closets, drawers, high chairs, car seats, strollers, purses, diaper bags, coat pockets, etc.  Remains of animal crackers, pretzels, bagels, and candy bars has tripled since last year. If you’re not familiar with why we clean out all of these food items from every nook and cranny, I’ve included a fact friendly description on BeingJewish.com .

“The Torah defines chometz as any mixture that contains flour and water that has been allowed to ferment. The Torah defines five types of grain that can become chometz when mixed with liquid: grain: wheat, spelt, oats, barley, and rye, or any of their derivatives. That includes, cookies, bagels, pizza, crackers, and challah.”

If you’re kids are like mine, they love all of these fluffy, tasty, snack foods. They love them so much that they leave little pieces behind everywhere they go. The car, strollers, kitchen floor, living room floor, books, toys, and toy boxes. 

So, if matzoh is made with flour, why isn’t it considered chometz ? The message is in the minutes. If unbaked flour and water remain together for a period of 18 minutes, they automatically begin to leaven and rise. It is critical that every step of the matzoh baking process is exact. From mixing, baking, and scraping every morsel from the previous batch of matzoh is key. With all of this seriousness, what is so fun about matzoh? It is very fun. My 4 yr. old went on a tour of a Chabad Matzah bakerywith her nursery class and she had so much fun. After all, how else could you get a kid excited about eating flat, tasteless,  squares for eight straight days (that’s why I love chocolate covered matzohs). Once kids have a “tangible”, hands-on experience making matzoh, they feel more connected to the mitzvah of eating matzoh.

It is not easy to have my own 4 year old daughter sit at the Passover Seder without spilling her grape juice, let alone 3 other kids her age and younger. So the floor was covered in sticky grape juice and matzo pieces. Everybody stayed up way too late, had too much sugar, and still woke up at 6:00 am. Those things can be cleaned later. Smiles and giggles on all of   their faces, that’s what it’s all about.

This Mommy Loves To Nap

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know that it is National Napping Day? For those who know me, they know not to call me between 12:30 and 2:00 because I’m napping.

Have you had your nap today? If not, you’ll want to start. For more information on why it is National Napping Day, check out Mahalo.com

Why You Should Read With Your Kids 20 Minutes A Day

For 20 minutes each evening, my children and I cuddle up together on the couch before bed and read some of our favorite books. Did you know that reading just 20 minutes a day encourages listening and language skills, and gives children a strong reading foundation? You can change selection every couple of weeks. For example, I focus on different themes and rotate every couple of weeks so the kids are always thinking about new things (and this mama doesn’t get bored). I just reviewed a great book, Flippy Goes on a Road Trippy by John Mese and Dawn Kelsey, if you’re planing a trip in the near future.My 4 yr. old daughter loved the energetic colors and smooth texture of the book. We frequently travel to Florida, Chicago, and Massachusetts, so going on a “road trippy” represents family and fun. My daughter especially loves Trippy’s visit to the beach walking on “hot sand” finding shells on the beach.

However, the theme these days are books about napping and sleeping. Some of our current favorites include, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, The Napping House by Audrey Wood, and Peek-a-Boo Board Book by Allan Ahlberg . This came about because getting my 2 yr. old and 4 yr. old to bed was a complete nightmare. Since my DH comes home late from work most nights during the week, it’s all me. I had friends with bedtime routines that just didn’t work with my kids.  Some eliminated the day nap in order to get the kids to bed by 6:30.  Others had kids that wanted to nap and go to bed early without a problem. I wasn’t about to give up the day nap because I also needed a “time out” to get things done.

I searched and searched for books on the topic of sleep, and they’re are several worth turning pages, but my personal favorite,  Elizabeth Pantley’s,  The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers (June, 2005). This is when I became a “Sleep Promoter”.  Here is the excerpt  from The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers  that I fell in love with and follow religiously: 

 ”The key to staying, and making it a pleasant routine for everyone involved, is to set a specific bedtime routine that ends in quiet, peaceful darkness. The finale to your bedtime routine should be your quiet presence as your child nods off. If you continue to tal k and interact with your child you may be actually keeping him awa k e! So do all your usual things – reading, storytelling, nursing, back -rubbing – and then turn off the lights and be quiet. The only noise you should make is a quiet “Shhh, Shhh” in response to any movement or noise from your little one. “

And, then it worked. Reading with my children for those 20 minutes has improved things tremendously in the home. If the kids go to sleep early, I can get some things done before I turn in for the evening.

 If you’re putting your kids down for a nap, bedtime, or just spending some quiet time with them reading a book, those could be the best 20 minutes of your day.  As my parents always say, “ it seemed like just 20 minutes ago you were all toddlers”.

Giving away a great book, Flippy Goes on a Road Trippy by John Mese and Dawn Kelsey.

Here is how you can have one for FREE:

1. Leave a comment here and tell me your favorite children’s book and why, include your contact information
2. Subscribe to my feed and leave a comment if you did.
3. Follow me on Twitter and RT this giveaway @primetimeparent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snuggie, the blankie for adults

When I first saw the late, late, night ad for this product, I was in love. Have you tried one out? Buy one, get one free, who’s game?

The way this product came to life is like the American dream for product ideas. I want to meet the people behind this product, who are you? Time to google-palooza ’til I find out some information.

May all our “snuggies” come true! Snuggie  gets a warm embrace from pop culture .

Playdates during cold and flu season, should you play or should you go?

I feel like I’ve not left my house for an eternity this winter, and it just started. Since I have to schlep three kids, three and under out the door to drop my 3 year old off at nursery school, I just stay out until naptime (around 1:30). I love being out and about in the morning, as long as I am home for naptime. I mentioned in a previous post that my day is scheduled around the nap. I never was this way before, but believe me; I need it now more than ever. Just getting all three kids, awake, fed, dressed, brushed (teeth), packed (lunch and snacks), mitzvah note (recognition of good deed), tzedaka (a couple pennies for charity) jackets, hats, shoes, gloves, diaper bag, and sippy cups, etc. My head is spinning as I go through my mental, out the door, checklist. Oh, yeah, I forgot to get dressed, rrrrgh. Let’s not forget purse, keys, cell phone, mail, dry cleaning, library books, and money. You’re probably reading this to yourself, thinking, “why don’t you just get most of it done the night before”. The truth is, I like to just chill (blog, read, twitter, Facebook, draw) and wind down from the day. On at night. Once I put the dinner dishes in the kitchen, I’m so done. And, by the time I’m in a deep sleep, the kids are up and the day is upon us. Back to my original point, which was since I’m out of the house already, I just stay out. Even in the winter, there is no shortage of things to do. Monday and Wednesday is playgroup, Tuesday is Baby Boogie (music class for toddlers), Thursday is museum time, and Friday is flexible. Unfortunately, I’ve had to go right back home after the drop off at nursery, as these activities have been on hold since a wave colds, stomach viruses, and ear infections have invaded our homes. In fact, I’ve been to the pediatrician’s office so many times I’ve lost count already (he hasn’t, co-pay, chaching). As parents, we do our best to keep our kids happy and healthy. Will these weeks without going to our regularly scheduled programs affect our babies? A wise woman, my mother, told me that during the winter she rarely left the house when we were kids. If we have to stay home in the 21st Century, we can be in more than one place thanks to social networks (Facebook, Twitter, linkedin, etc.) Some of us even have beyond basic cable and can watch movies and mini-series galore. And, there are some of us who have neither internet nor cable and rely on DVDs, CDs, and VCRs. And, there are some (G-d Bless) that are able to draw with one child, hold the baby, and whip up some dinner (you know who you are).

As I was googling about this topic not only did I not realize that it was way past my bedtime, I came across the following link to an article written by Frank Barnhill M.D., http://www.drhuggiebear.com/information/whentokeepyoursickchild.htm, in which he included the following guidelines as to when a child should and should not leave the home due to illness. I have never read so much about germs in my entire life, and it can be pretty scary when a toddler or 10-month old can’t tell you what is wrong with them. I think you’ll find this helpful as well.

Medical reports clearly state that children should not be kept home from school for mild respiratory illnesses such as head colds without fever or a productive cough. However, you should use the following “guidelines” to judge the difference between mild and more severe illnesses.
You should not send your child to school if he or she:

Has a fever above 100.4 degrees orally or 99.4 degrees rectally (please note that skin and ear digital thermometers are very unreliable!)
Is irritable, cries constantly, or seems very sleepy or difficult to awaken
Is hard to keep awake and refuses to eat normally
Has difficulty breathing or seems to be breathing more rapidly than usual
Had diarrhea in the past twelve hours that would run out of a diaper, has a foul infected type odor, or would be so difficult to control that your child could not make it to the toilet without soiling clothing or messing up the bathroom or classroom
Has vomited two or more times in the past 24 hours or once in the past eight hours
Complains of constant stomach pains or walks stooped over and holding his stomach
Has sores in the mouth or is drooling because it hurts to swallow
Has a skin rash that includes pus bumps, water blisters, or oozing crusty areas (impetigo), or is associated with fever
Has pinkness or redness in the whites of eyes with crusting or drainage of yellow or green pus
If skin or whites of eyes become yellow or jaundiced
Has untreated head lice, scabies, or strep throat
Has an unexplained swollen joint, arm or leg and won’t move the arm or stand on the leg
Has a headache for more than twelve hours not relieved by Tylenol
Has a croupy or wheezy cough or coughs up a lot of green or yellow phlegm
Has a change in behavior or doesn’t act “normal”

Now that we know what to look for before we bring our kids out to play with other children, how can we protect them better? Once again, I was googling about this topic and found the following link http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/germs-in-bedroom, very resourceful. With our children out there in a “germnasium”, there is only so much I can do to protect the entire family from what she might bring home, and I’m not talking about the projects. One thing I saw stressed repeatedly was to wash hands with soap and water for twenty seconds. Okay, but how do we dry our hands (that hand towel might not look to fresh)?. Take some of your own paper towels from home. How about baby wipes, I carry them with me all the time, could they work? In the DECS Health and Hygiene Practices in Family Daycare article, wipes were mentioned as an effective way to clean hands if soap and water were not readily available. For the entire article, http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/HealthandHygienePractices.pdf

This flu season, arm yourself with the necessary “handmunition” to combat GERMS. If you or your children still get bit by the community bug, use Dr. Barnhill’s guidelines before you confirm that play date. As my mom always says, no one can do what a mom can do for their own child. Keep them home an extra day, before you know it they’ll be all grown up and you’ll long for the time together, even when they’re not cranky and not feeling well.

Naptime for Mommy

While I was catching up on some reading this past weekend, I came across an article about napping. As I mentioned earlier, my day is scheduled around naptime. I encourage all of you out there; whether you work outside the home, or you are a SAHM, take a nap.

According to Stanley Sherbell, M.D., executive vice president for medical affairs at New York Methodist Hospital, “Adults Can Take Naps, Too: Studies indicate that 39 percent of Americans average less than seven hours of sleep each night. To overcome sleep deprivation and gradually improve health and overall performance, adults should consider getting 20 minutes of naptime each day. Choose time when interruption is unlikely. Always keep in mind that the long-term solution to exhaustion should be some regular one-on-one time with a pillow for at least seven to nine hours a night”.

Taking a nap is a win-win situation. Not only will you get some alone time, you will gain thee benefits from the National Sleep Foundation website, http://www.sleepfoundation.org.

“Naps can restore alertness, enhance performance, and reduce mistakes and accidents. A study at NASA on sleepy military pilots and astronauts found that a 40-minute nap improved performance by 34% and alertness 100%.
Naps can increase alertness in the period directly following the nap and may extend alertness a few hours later in the day. Scheduled napping has also been prescribed for those who are affected by narcolepsy. Napping has psychological benefits. A nap can be a pleasant luxury, a mini-vacation. It can provide an easy way to get some relaxation and rejuvenation. “

Have you had a nap today?

Have you had a nap, ever?

When I had my first child, everyone told me to “sleep when the baby is sleeping.” I did not nap, in fact, I cleaned, cooked, and shlepped laundry up and down the stairs (why they didn’t put washing machines upstairs in these homes, ugh). With my second child, people insisted that I nap when the baby was sleeping. No, still no napping for me. How could I nap with those dirty dishes on the kitchen counter and in the sink! And the laundry, even if it is not folded, it must be put away. Let’s not forget the thank you note to the Finkelsteins (parents friends) because they haven’t heard anything about the adorable gift they sent, etc.

Finally, with my third child, people didn’t tell me what to do anymore, thank you. However, my body and mind told me that I needed rest. I was cranky, unmotivated and stressed. Yet, I would rush around while the babies were napping, how else would I get everything done? Well, you know what, it did. Not immediately, but that was okay. It was more important that I took that time to close my eyes, even if it was for just 15 minutes. That extra boost enabled me to get through the day with more energy. Even during the 5 pm to 7 pm shift, a.k.a, breakdown city, I learned to manage with three kids, three and under. Even if I did have a babysitter scheduled for that time period, I had to be prepared for the ocassional, “I can’t make it” phone call. Okay, things happen (speed dial husband at work) only to find out that Husband won’t be home ’til late. This is when I tell myself to take a deep breath and embrace the hours ahead. If I find that things are too hectic (3 year old hit 2 year old, 2 year old hit 3 year old, etc.), I change the focus and invite Dora,The Explorer to the party (DVD in player already). I appreciate that Dora has the ability to keep my kids intriged, however, the best part is when I can tell my kids that Dora has to gone to bed (Dora’s voice gets to me after awhile).

I am so into the nap that I plan the day around the nap. Even an hour before the nap, I start metioning it to my 2 year old (positive reinforcment) She doesn’t always go down without a protest, but if I can get in at least 15 minutes with my eyes closed, I’m good to go. Do you nap? It does a mommy good!