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Cups - Ok, this is totally random, but people often chuckle when I explain about cups around our house. So, I'll share the method to my madness. We each use one cup for the whole day, just refilling as needed. We never used sippy cups and have several kid cups like the ones below instead. Want to take a guess at which cup belongs to which kid?
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..All right, I'll tell you. The two orange cups are for the boys, same color for the same gender. The dark cup is for the dark boy and the light cup is for the light boy. The turquoise cup is for Naomi, different color for a different gender. This system make it easy to mindlessly remember which kid is drinking out of which cup. The colors change from day to day, but the boys always use two shades of the same color and Naomi uses a different color.
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Meconium - Do you know what that is? It's the sticky, tar-like poop that a newborn has for the first few days of life. The midwife I had during my pregnancy with Silas gave me a tip on how to deal with that nasty stuff. I assumed it was general info shared with all preggos, but only a couple people I've mentioned it too had ever heard of it. Maybe that's the difference between my hippy midwives (and I use that term with respect because they were ... and it was awesome!) and the more traditional route of docs and hospitals. So, if you're preggo and don't have any hippies in your life, then let me share this nugget of wisdom. Ready?
Olive oil. That's it. You just need to keep some handy for diaper changes. Before the first diaper goes on the baby you'll need to smear some oil all over it's bottom and groin (in case the poop spreads). Then when the first meconium diaper comes along, it will all wipe off easily and you can oil the baby up again. If you forget or if you miss a spot, then you'll realize just how sticky that meconium is!
You know the little travel bottles you can buy for shampoo, etc.? We just put some olive oil in one of those and kept it by the diapers. Easy peasy. You could actually use olive, vegetable or baby oil. I don't suppose it really matters. Just get some oil on that little bum and keep it there until the meconium diapers have ended.
Funny story. After Naomi was born the midwives (we've had different ones with each kid, totally beyond our control) were getting the two of us cleaned up. When it came time to put a diaper on her, one of the assistants turned to Tim and started to say something. Then she started laughing because he was standing behind her with some olive oil, the very thing she was about to ask him to get. Ok, so that's not really funny, but they were impressed that he already knew that little trick.
Bookmark - I love my new bookmark and I'll tell you why. Devon gave it to me. That's why! Actually, he likes to be sneaky. He came to me one day and, with a smirk on his face, asked if I'd looked under my pillow the night before. I hadn't. That's not really something I do before falling asleep. So he told me to check that night when I went to bed. As you can guess, I found this dollar bill under my pillow. A little gift from my favorite five year old. I'm using it as a bookmark so I'll see it each day and remember (because sometimes I need the reminder) what a blessing my kids are.
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Allergies - My allergies kicked in this week. They won't get really bad for a while, but I've definitely had some itchy eyes, ears, and throat and done my share of sneezing over the last few days. The start of allergies each year always reminds me of a book we had when I was a kid. It's called Robert the Rose Horse and is about a horse with allergies. Have you ever read it? I still have my childhood copy, copyright 1962 and have read it to the kids a few times. They love it. Anyway, that's random too, but I thought of the book as I was clawing my eyes and sneezing to death after mowing the lawn yesterday.
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Reality - Tim has been home for the last 10 days and we've been off of school. We've had fun days, mellow days, and insanely busy days. Tomorrow morning he heads back to work and we dive into week 29 of school. We have eight weeks of school to complete this year and twelve weeks to get it done in. Lovely!
9 comments:
Thanks for the tip about the meconium!! That is awesome. : ) I will use it for the little miss. : ) I hate scrubbing away on their poor little sensitive bottoms to get all of the poop off. But I did get some AWESOME deals on some good Huggies and Pampers wipes for when she's really little and you need them a little wetter than usual due to that sticky poopo. : )
Rachel - I'm glad you got some good deals, but special wipes are totally unnecessary once you give your baby an oily bottom. :)
As a mother of 4 small children I have become a hater of sippy cups. A whole drawer devoted to them and then all the lids, valves, straws etc. drive me crazy. But what drives me crazier is the spills. The tiniest bit of juice seems to splatter all over the walls, floor etc. leaving a sticky mess. You must have a solution for this...what is it? :)
Abby - First, the cups we use have plastic lids that we use to start off with. They're just not spill-proof. I don't remember when they outgrew their need for a lid, but it's before 2yo.
Second, we don't keep juice in the house. Lots of water and a little milk.
Third, we only allow our kids to drink at the table or in the kitchen. When they're really little (not able to balance well while tipping their head back to drink), they have to be sitting on the kitchen floor before I hand the cup over.
Fourth, once the kids can walk they're responsible for grabbing a rag and cleaning up their spills. Other family members often jump in to help, but the spiller is responsible for their mess.
So, that's how we avoid (most)spills & stickiness (& deal with the inevitable ones that happen periodically) :)
Abby - I just searched all over the internet to find a pic with the lids we have ... and can't find anything! They're just plain, plastic, snap-on lids with a drinking spout. Anyway, ours came from Target or Wal-Mart or some department store. We've had the cups for years and I don't remember exactly.
Thanks Bethany! We have those cups and my 7 year old does fine but my 5 year old is so free-spirited and one of my 3 year olds also spills so frequently!! I only allow drinks at the table and had to allow juice because of constipation issues!! Otherwise I would only do water! You've inspired me though....I'm going to start trying not to use the lids as much. The worst is the morning because I have to get them all dressed and ready and out to get the oldest to school. If a spill happens then it sets us all back a few minutes and the craziness begins! Maybe I'll just use lids with juice and not water.....
Abby - I don't know you and tone can be hard to convey online, so please read a light-hearted, curious tone into this question.
Could it be that they aren't good without lids simply because they don't get a chance to practice? If not, no biggie. Just wondered.
I think your "no lids with water" start is a good one, particularly if you're trying to keep your morning free of stress. Hope this little experiment is successful! :)
Probably!!!! I'm inspired to start though....and I going to start making them at least attempt to clean up the messes that they make.
You know lots of my friends from Athey in Portland where we used to live two moves ago. The Craigs camped with you last summer I think and Ben and Andrea...just to name a few.... :)
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