Tinkerbelle, Indiana Jones & The Red Dragon Ninja

We’re an eclectic family

posted with vodpod

Halloween Weekend in Woodstock

Such a blast!

posted with vodpod

National Blog Posting Month

While I’m already one day behind, I’m going to make an attempt to post every day this month.  Ha.  We’ll see.

The Need to Stop Micromanaging Our Kids

Can we get an “AMEN“?

Baby Care, Brought to You by the Same People Who Wrote the Warning Label on Hairdryers That Says, “Do Not Use in Bathtub”

hat tip: Jack

Wow, Barbie Really CAN do Anything

Now here’s a Barbie I can get on board with.  You go, girl.

Hat Tip: Frume Sarah

Tefillin

Talit

Alice.com Rocks!

My new favorite website: Alice.com – household goods, great prices, FREE shipping and delivered to my door! What could be better? Oh, yeah! Prizes! Check it out!

http://blog.alice.com/2009/10/01/announcing-free-samples-win-a-mac-book/

Chores for Toddlers – Steps to Parenting your Child to Freedom and Independence

A whole bunch of people have emailed me wanting to know why I think toddlers can and should do chores.  So here goes.

You are not your children’s servant.  Taking care of them does not mean you fold their laundry and put it away until they go to college.  You CAN be a caring parent and teach your kids to take care of themselves in these basic ways.  In fact, I’d say that being a responsible parent means you MUST teach them how to be responsible for themselves.  The ability to do things for themselves  builds confidence, and self-confidence is the first step towards raising a “free-range” child.

Is your toddler able to throw in a load of laundry when he gets home from Gymboree and grill you a steak while he’s at it?  Of course not.  However, children as young as 2 are capable of contributing on some level.  And, like puppies, they want to be a part of the pack and have a role.  When they feel useful they feel safe and happy.  Here are some things your toddler can do to contribute:

1. Get a Swiffer or a Swiffer Duster and let them have at it.
2. Give them a baby wipe and have them wipe down their seat.
3. Help set the table.
4. Bring their used plate/cup/utensils to the sink.
5. Pick up toys (age-appropriate; we had the child pick up and put away as many toys as their age, although by 4 they were doing more than that).
6. Get dressed themselves.  Yes, they can do this.  Suck it up and pretend the outfits match.  You can comment, “Wow!  You’re so colorful today!”  We often refer to our daughter as “Technicolor Shayna.”
7. Have them help you sort laundry.  This is a great way to build on color identification.  He/She can make piles of whites, reds, blues, etc.  Bonus:  at this age, they actually think this is fun.
8. By 4, most children are able to schmeer some peanut butter or cream cheese on some bread or a bagel, and certainly can pour milk/juice.  Buy an inexpensive “toy” pitcher for them to use for this purpose, to make it easier to handle.  Voila!  They can help with their own lunch.  Put some cereal and bowls on the table and they can do breakfast.  Be prepared to do a bit of extra clean-up in the beginning, but it gets better quickly.
9. My toddler helped brush our cat.  This worked for us; if you think your kid can be gentle, by all means go for it.  Pet care is important for everyone to pitch in with.  Now that she’s 5, she’s moved up to being in charge of morning feedings of dry food.

Age-appropriate expectations are important.  No toddler can spend 45 minutes cleaning up.  5 minutes or so is probably closer   The important thing is to engage them in this family activity as early as possible to lend structure to their day and help them feel useful and a part of the family “pack.”

Anyone have other suggestions out there?

Oh, and we don’t pay them for this.  These are are things that are part of the responsibility of helping the family run smoothly.  Any chore I would pay someone else to do (such as mow the lawn or clean out all the fridges/freezers), I will pay them for if they take the project on and see it through until the end.  Wow I just re-read that; no one’s toddler should be mowing a lawn or cleaning out a freezer.  That comment was directed at older children

This Is a Test – Lev, Can You Find Me?

My eldest just discovered I have a blog.  I’m waiting to see how long it takes him to find me.  This should be fun!  I’ll keep this post sticky on the top to make it easy to see when it’s updated!

Lev, when you find this blog, introduce yourself by commenting on this post.  Love Ya! —The Mominator

***UPDATED***

Score!  He found me!  4 days . . . not bad!  Hey, maybe he’ll write a post or two!

Things I’m a Snob About Thursday, Repentance Edition

Sunday evening begins the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (“Day of Atonement”).  It is the most serious and holy day of our year.  It is a time of reflection and introspection, repentance and forgiveness, renewal and inspiration.  We are currently in “the 10 days,” the period of time between our new year (Rosh Hashanah) and our day of atonement.  It is the time we especially focus on our sins and mistakes, ask for and grant forgiveness from our friends and loved ones, and generally reflect on what we can do to improve ourselves in the coming year.

I completely own the fact that I am a snob in many areas.  I’m not flaunting it; I simply acknowledge it.  Most people are, whether they admit it or not.  While I think everyone is entitled to their opinions, being ’snobby’ about things does not make me a better parent or person than those who dissent.  I know tons of families who have Cable, Wii, Barbies and processed food aplenty who are raising beautiful, healthy, kind, respectful, “good” kids.  Ultimately, whatever my personal prejudices, living out one’s stellar values trumps pretty much everything else.  So to those I may have offended or upset, I apologize.

I am working on being more open-minded in certain areas related to other people’s parenting styles, and it is going to be my major behavioral focus in the coming year.  Let me be clear:  I do NOT think it is my way or the highway.  Plenty of ways to parent that are healthy and productive.  But there are certain things that I believe are truly not effective or productive, and I’m working on being open to people who choose those methods and learning from the reasons they make their choices.

What are some things you feel you could be more open-minded about?  How do you think you might be able to embrace the people behind the parenting?