Sunday, September 27, 2015

20 Signs You're a Parent


Parenthood!  It’s a big lifetime change. Before you had kids, you might have enjoyed sleeping in and watching a little more reality television than you should. But now, things are different. Here are 20 signs you’re a parent (especially a parent with younger children):

1. You say to your significant other (feeling pretty bad ass),  I can’t believe we stayed out so late!(it’s 10:00 o'clock …..okay it’s 9:00 o’clock).
2. When you reach for the keys in your purse/diaper bag/pocket, you often also pull out some cracker crumbs, a Lego, and a Bandaid.  
3. You get excited to go get the mail, take out the trash, etc, because hey it’s alone time. 
4. You’ve had a conversation about poop or pee in the last hour. No, you’ve had three conversations about poop or pee in the last hour. 
5. Going to the grocery store feels like a mini-vacation.
6. Going to Target feels like a mini-vacation.
7. Going just about anywhere by yourself feel like a mini-vacation….now what’s this I hear about something called a kid-free weekend? 
8. You woke up past 8:00 am and no one else was up yet!  You looked around to see if there were any unicorns or flying pigs in the room.
Tweet this: Woke up past 8 am and my kids weren't up! I looked to see if there were any unicorns or flying pigs in the room too. http://ctt.ec/5b4dP
9. Your dinner often consists of someone wanting the food off your plate, someone else complaining ‘I don’t like this’, and maybe a third child trying to slip some peas to the family dog.
10. When you’re at the grocery store with your threenager,  you say a prayer for a tantrum-free shopping experience.
11. You stay up way too late every night and every morning you say I’m not going to do that again. You go through a lot of coffee. 
12. You find yourself humming the tunes of your kids’ favorite television programs, even the ones that you hate.
13. You can never seem to get the laundry completely done.
14. You’re amazed at how much room a toddler can take up in a king bed and how their feet always end up in your face.
15. You’ve signed more documents (for school, daycare, sports, bounce houses, etc) than the president has for his entire term. 
16. When your house is quiet (and your kids are home), you automatically assume something is wrong.
17. You sometimes play hide and seek just so you can have a few minutes of me time, or scarf down the last cookie without having to share. 
18. You can’t believe how much time you spend cleaning stuff off your walls. Before having kids, you hardly ever had to do this.  
19. You’ve held your pee or sat in an uncomfortable position because your baby/toddler fell asleep on you. You wouldn’t dare chance waking him or her up.  
20. You have a sign over your doorbell that says baby sleeping….your child is five but you just kept it up there because it sounds better than a ‘No solicitors’ sign…..if you’ve never done that, it’s a good idea huh?

I hope you could relate to some of these!  Anything else you want to add?


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The Twinkle Diaries

Sunday, September 20, 2015

How to Be the Best Mom Ever


Do you want to be a perfect mom? I do. After reading a lot of parenting articles and research, I think I’ve finally figured out how to be the best mom ever. 

Appearance 

Your children should wear appropriate attire. They should match but not too much. Otherwise you will look like you are trying too hard. Mix in some stripes with polka dots so your children look fashionable. Finally, add a smudge of dirt on their face so they look as if they are getting plenty of unstructured play. 

Breastfeeding 

Exclusively breastfeed your children for one year. After that, stop because it’s weird. When out in public, make sure to use a nursing cover so you don’t offend anyone. 

Be Happy 

Be happy because perfect parents are always happy. Don’t let anyone see you cry or act vulnerable. And, definitely don’t admit your imperfections.   

Watch Your Children...but not too Much 

Watch your children from exactly 15.5 feet away. Any closer and you’ll be called a helicopter parent. Any further and your neighbors might call the cops on you for being negligent.  

Tweet this: How to be the Best Mom Ever:  Watch your children from exactly 15.5 feet away. http://ctt.ec/Xfr35

Pinterest-Perfect 

Each day you should make and perfect at least 10 pins from your Pinterest board. Crafts, strawberry cupcakes with homemade frosting, and cornbread made from non-GMO corn.   

Have it All 

To be a perfect mom you’ll need to be a CEO of a company, the president of your school’s PTA/PTO, and do all of this at night so you can be a SAHM during the day. Drink at least 8 cups of coffee a day so you’ll be able to achieve this. 

Prepare your Children 

By age two, your kids should be potty-trained. By age three, they should be able to count to 100 and write their name in D'Nealian style script. 

Food


Only feed your child organic food from your backyard or rooftop garden. All meals must include five different-colored fruits and vegetables. However, make sure no ones sees your kids eating organic food because you might be labeled trendy or snobby.


Swaddle


Swaddle your child using blankets that are 25 inches by 25 inches. But don’t swaddle them too tight or they might get hip dysplasia. Wait no, new research shows swaddling is bad.

There, that doesn’t seem too hard or confusing, now does it? Now, you are ready to be the best mom ever!

I think it’s hard to be a parent!  There is a lot of conflicting information out there and so much judgement. As much as I try not to worry about what others think and be an informed parent, I often feel people’s eyes on me.  What are your thoughts on this topic?

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Monday, September 14, 2015

Before I Had Kids.......


Before I had kids I would go shopping on the weekends. I’d spend an hour trying on clothes to find the perfect outfit.

Before I had kids, I’d go out to dinner almost every Friday night. I’d order hot soup without worrying that someone would dump it on their lap. I’d order dessert and slowly savor each bite.

Before I had kids, I subscribed to a lot of magazines. When I lived in a condo, I would read those magazines poolside while I worked on my tan.  

Before I had kids, I slept in on the weekends. After a long day at work, I enjoyed soaking in a hot bath. I took hour-long spin classes.  

And, then I changed.  My interests changed.  My body changed.  My wardrobe changed.  My budget changed.  


I was a mom.

Suddenly, I was responsible for another human being, from sunup to sundown. Then, I was responsible for two little ones.  

From time to time, I participate in some of the pre-kid activities. I still go out on date nights. I still enjoy dessert, even it’s the last cookie that I’m secretly scarfing down in the kitchen. I still workout but now it may be a run around the neighborhood rather than going to the gym. I watch television, but a lot less of it.

Before I had kids, I didn’t really know what it meant to sacrifice. I didn’t know that I could feel fear and love at the same time.  

I didn’t know I could enjoy blowing bubbles in the backyard so much or watching a spider spin a web. My life is faster but I’ve also learned to slow down and enjoy the small stuff, because my kids certainly do.

Now, I appreciate those golden days of sleeping in past eight. I enjoy date nights more. I appreciate the few moments when my house is completely clean.  

I’m the same person. I have an identity that’s separate from my children. But I’m different. How could I not be?

Because I’m a mom and I’ve been changed forever. And, since becoming a parent, I really get this saying:


I also get this:


So, what did you do before you had kids? 

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Sunday, September 6, 2015

Dealing with Your Baby's GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)


I’m pretty sure all babies spit up!  However, when I had my second child, he spit up excessively.   I could never lay him down flat on his back.  Sometimes after feeding, he would cry for hours, as if he were in pain.

I knew something was wrong!  M was a late pre-term baby and, as a newborn, had a stay in the NICU so my mommy instincts were already heightened.

When M was almost five months old, he spit up some blood (not bright red blood, but a brown ‘coffee grounds-like” substance).   At that point, we got a referral to see Pediatric Gastroenterologist to investigate the situation further.  

To get a look inside, my son’s doctor performed an upper endoscopy, which involves using a narrow “scope with a light and camera at its tip...to look inside the upper digestive tract”. Since my son was just a baby, he didn’t have to be sedated.  He cried, but mostly because I think he didn’t like strangers holding him.  The staff swaddled him, so he wouldn’t squirm. Luckily, the procedure only took a few minutes and soon, he was back in my arms.

After the procedure, it was confirmed he had GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), which is basically severe acid reflux.  We were told many babies outgrew this before their first birthday. In fact, only 5% of babies have symptoms as toddlers.  At this point, M was 5 months old so we were hopeful.   

WebMD lists some of the main symptoms of GERD:
My son was started on acid reflux medication. In addition, since I was nursing him, I had to avoid dairy, acidic foods, carbonation, caffeine, and fatty, fried, or spicy dishes….pretty much anything fun. Actually, this “GERD” diet was probably good for both of us.  When M started eating solids, I followed this same diet for him. 

Another big thing that helped was keeping M upright, at least two hours after eating.  Since he still had two naps and liked to eat, this was sometimes hard. So what ended up happened was me holding him a lot of the times when he napped. At night, I elevated his crib so it was at an angle.   

As his first birthday approached, things were going pretty well.  M was spitting up less, sleeping better, and gaining more weight.  Unfortunately, the day after Christmas, M threw up quite a bit of blood. Again, it was brownish blood...not bright red….otherwise I probably would have freaked out. We were in San Diego visiting family for the holidays and we decided to take him to the ER to make sure everything was okay.

Despite the blood incident, M was actually doing much better.  And, when we took him to get a second endoscopy, everything looked normal. 

Until he was about two and a half, M still had to remain on medication and we were very careful about what he ate.  Now, at three and a half, he occasionally enjoys some ice cream and is a very healthy boy.  

Did your child experience GERD or reflux as a baby, or as an older child?  Tell me about it in the comments.

*This post is not intended to be substituted for professional advice.  If you think your child has GERD, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as possible.  



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