The dreaded poop/butt stage. It seems every toddler goes through this, especially during potty training. I don’t know about you, but I always dreaded it simply because I think it’s gross. When my son and I started potty training when he was not quite 3.5, I was bracing for it. For awhile, it didn’t really happen. He was actually afraid of pooping for months, so he didn’t talk about it. Shortly before he turned 4, though, it happened. Poop. Butt. Poopy butt poopy head. Poopoo nugget. And more combinations than I choose to remember. He has some cousins who are just a few months to a couple of years older…
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Breastfeeding My 16 Month Old is Like Nursing a Baby Cow
Well, not exactly, but close enough! Recently, my daughter and I went to the county fair with my son and his class. She had a blast looking at all the animals and calling them all kitty. He…not so much. My son may be interested in science, but animals and insects and plants have no appeal to him. He’s more of a space and gravity and robotics guy. But he did manage to be more interested in the milking demonstration. Probably because he didn’t have to get anywhere close to the cow. Guess I’m not looking at a future vet. For now, at least. I have to admit, as a nursing…
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How I…Teach My Toddler Simple Math
I raise my children the same way I was raised: by letting them develop their own personalities and interests. As a parent, it’s my job to introduce as much as I can into their lives. We provide diverse experiences and activities, introduce different ideas and ways of doing things, and expose them to as many subject areas as possible. For most of the year, I’ve done a revolving schedule of reading, letters, numbers, science, history, and art with my son, one subject per day. Even though I love books and reading, I don’t spend our days just reading books with my kids. Even though my husband is a scientist, he…
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Preschool is for Playing
A version of this was previously posted on my other blog, Not the Typical Mom. I had something else planned for today, but, since my 4 year old starts his playschool program tomorrow, this is all that’s on my mind right now. Okay, my 4 year old isn’t exactly going to preschool, but he’ll be out of my care for a little over 5.5 hours each week. Which really isn’t a lot, but is more than he’s ever been away from mom and dad. To say I’m scared and nervous is an understatement! But I know it’ll be good for him, so I’m trying to stay upbeat about it so…
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I am Proud of My Toddler, But Not Because He Knows His ABCs and 123s
My oldest recently turned 4 and I am freaking out that he’s going into Kindergarten next fall. I’m not worried that he might not be academically prepared, which itself feels like a stupid thing to feel considering Kindergarten is supposed to be the starting place for receiving an education. I often find myself wondering why I bother checking to see if he’s ready to read considering I didn’t learn until 2nd or 3rd grade, but, apparently, kids going into Kindergarten need to be at least on the verge of learning to read. And school isn’t even compulsory in California until age 6! So, I don’t even need to send him…
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Baking with Young Children Tip #5
In lieu of a daily question on Fridays this month, I’ll be giving a baking with young children tip. I’ve switched up Fridays this month to highlight dads, but I can’t bring myself to forego food entirely. Baking tip #5: Have fun! Doing anything in the kitchen with small children can be difficult. There are small people getting underfoot, small people demanding attention and to be picked up, small people screaming if they don’t get to help, small people littering toys that you must navigate like a minefield, small people who decide the time when you absolutely must get something out of the oven is the best time to have…
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Baking with Young Children Tip #4
In lieu of a daily question on Fridays this month, I’ll be giving a baking with young children tip. I’ve switched up Fridays this month to highlight dads, but I can’t bring myself to forego food entirely. Baking tip #4: Utilize the measuring cups you aren’t using to entertain your little ones. I don’t know what it is about those little measuring cups, but my kids are obsessed with them. I can’t open the drawer and take one out without having to give one to each of them. Of course, sometimes I have to negotiate with them so I also get to use the one I need. Which can get…
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Baking with Young Children Tip #3
In lieu of a daily question on Fridays this month, I’ll be giving a baking with young children tip. I’ve switched up Fridays this month to highlight dads, but I can’t bring myself to forego food entirely. Baking tip #3: Crack those eggs into a bowl. Seriously. If you’ve ever baked with young children, you know those round little ovals that roll everywhere are very tempting for little hands. And you’ve probably cleaned up a few broken eggs or more. Since the eggs should be brought to room temperature and the butter should be softened before baking, I take them out while my kids are occupied, about an hour or…
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Baking with Young Children Tip #2
In lieu of a daily question on Fridays this month, I’ll be giving a baking with young children tip. I’ve switched up Fridays this month to highlight dads, but I can’t bring myself to forego food entirely. Baking tip #2: Practice counting by using the smallest measuring up and counting each one. For two cups of flour, use a quarter cup measure and count to 8. I know the rule to baking is to use exact measurements, so this might sound weird and perhaps you don’t even want to try it and risk the end result. However, I have been baking since I was a small child and neither my…
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Guide to Disneyland When You Have Young Children
As a SoCal mom, I’ve spent way too much time at Disneyland. Sure, I’d love to go to Disney World one day, but Disneyland is the original, the park Walt Disney himself strolled through, and the one that is only a short drive from where we live. Which made it oh so easy for my husband to convince me to take our kids to Disneyland 7 times and California Adventure once. Let’s not think about how much that cost now…though, thank goodness kids under 3 are free. After 8 trips, I’ve learned a lot about how to prepare to go, how to get around, and what my family likes.…
