Parenting Questions! Help!

I keep thinking I'm going to get back into the swing of things with So Mommy, but things keep "happening" and it keeps getting pushed to the back!  I'm hoping to start writing my reviews after the kids go to bed so that it will be easier to have them posted for you all!  I have some good ones to share!

We have recently started "homeschool" with my 2 1/2 year old.  Nothing major, just having her sit down with me for about 10 minutes 3 days a week.  We work on various things like drawing shapes, cutting paper, reading - mostly things to help her learn to sit still for longer periods of time.  It's giving me an idea of what homeschooling will really be like with 2 kids!

While I have you reading, I have some questions for you all! I'm in need of advice from you all!

(1) My 2 1/2 year old daughter is potty training.  She rarely has accidents (#1), and has been in big girl panties for awhile now.  Every now and then she has an accident, but no biggie.  However, she still refuses to do #2 in the potty. 
         We've tried:
-Prizes - she has 3 large prizes she gets if she does it and could care less
-Putting her on the potty when we see her going - she stops and won't go at all and ends up constipated
-Apple juice (to make it easier) - she still stops if we site her on the potty
-Putting her potty chair in front of the t.v. to get her distracted while she goes - she gets too distracted

I'm out of ideas!  She asks for a diaper to poop in, so I've resorted to putting a diaper on her and encouraging her to poop (in the diaper) in the bathroom.  I'm hoping I'll eventually be able to get her to poop in the diaper on the toilet, then without the diaper, but who knows if that will work haha.  Any ideas are appreciated!!

(2) My 2 1/2 year old is having nightmares.  She has always been a very good sleeper until recently.  She screams when you mention bedtime - terrified screams, not just crying.  She finally told us that the animals come out when we close the door (sometimes they play soccer on her wall and sometimes it's football). 
-She won't go to sleep with a nightlight or with the door open. 
-She won't let us sleep in her room with her, she just wants us to sit at the end of her bed and sing "Jesus Loves Me" forever. 
-I finally got her to lay with me on the couch and sleep (she goes to sleep in under 5 minutes) and then I go lay her down. 
-We let her watch VeggieTales "Where's God when I'm Scared" and we assure her that her room is safe, but it hasn't seemed to help much. 

Any ideas for getting rid of nightmares?

Lilies in the Moonlight - Book Review

I received "Lilies in the Moonlight" by Allison Pittman as part of Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program.  If you like to read and review books, you should check them out!

Publisher's Description (from cbd.com)

He’d lost his zest for life. She was just lost. Will they find the healing and love they long for?

After a roaring night on the town, fun-loving flapper Lilly Margolis, dazed and disoriented, twists her ankle and falls into the backyard of a wealthy family where the effects of the Great War—over for more than half a decade—are still endured. Inside the walls of the Burnside mansion, Cullen Burnside, a disillusioned and disfigured veteran, and his widowed mother, Betty Ruth, who daily slips a little further into dementia, lead a lonely existence … until Lilly. Whimsical, lighthearted, and beautiful, she rejuvenates their sad, disconnected lives and blossoms in the light of their attention.

But Lilly, like Cullen, is hiding from a painful past. And when Cullen insists on returning her to her faraway home, their budding attraction seems destined to die on the vine. The resulting road trip becomes a journey of self-discovery—but what will Cullen and Lilly find at journey’s end?

Author Bio (from cbd.com)

Allison Pittman is the author of Stealing Home, The Bridegrooms, the Crossroads of Grace series, and Saturdays with Stella. A former high school English teacher, she serves as director of the theater arts group at her church. Allison makes her home in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Learn more about the author at http://www.allisonpittman.com/.

 

My Review

I have decided that I'm not really a romantic novel type person.  The book was very well-written and enjoyable, but it just isn't my kind of book.  The plot was a nice change from boy-meets-girl-gets-married.  It definitely had a unique twist on the normal love story novels, which I liked.   The first few chapters kept me reading, but the middle got a little slow for me.  If you like romantic novels, you would probably enjoy this book...I'm just more of a mystery girl!

What if your child went missing?

"Every 40 seconds in the United States, someone’s son or daughter goes missing, but only a fraction of those children are eligible to have a traditional Amber Alert issued for them because the circumstances for their disappearance do not lead officials to believe they are in life-threatening danger among other criteria. A new technology has been developed, however, that allows parents to send out their own alert anytime their child goes missing.

SecuraChild is entirely free for parents and guardians to use. An account can be created for any child with a minimum of important identifying information including: height, weight, hair color, and eye color. A parent can include other meaningful information including medical conditions, unique and descriptive features as well as posting images, videos and other content that could be used to help find their missing child quickly. The site is fully encrypted and each account is protected to ensure the security of all information. Also, parents can choose exactly what details they want to save on the profile that they create.

If a parent’s son or daughter should ever go missing, the parent can quickly login to their account to provide basic details such as where the child was last seen, what the child was wearing, and where they may be going or ties to an area or community. SecuraChild then broadcasts the information and the child’s detailed portfolio to thousands via social networking sites, text messages and emails, creating a nearly instantaneous network of searchers.

In addition, when a missing child is reported, SecuraChild emails the parents a free PDF document that packages all of the stored information on the missing child. Parents can provide this document to law enforcement to expedite the process of registering their missing child with local law enforcement and the issuance of a traditional Amber Alert."  (All above is from the press release).

SecuraChild is extremely easy (and free!) to sign up.  I definitely recommend doing it!  Like said above, if your child goes missing it may be hard to recall some important details.  SecuraChild remembers them for you!

Can a necklace really help reflux?

Since having LB, I feel like my life has turned into a whirlwind of craziness!  Do any of you ever feel that way?  It seems like we're always going somewhere or doing something...and when I am home I'm trying to wash the ever-growing dishes and laundry.  I have so many things I have been reviewing (including several books), and I have been wanting to share them all with you, but I haven't had any time to sit down and think (and I want you to be able to understand my reviews haha). 

What I want to talk about today is laundry...I know, boring stuff!  Seriously though, since LB was born my laundry pile is crazy!  It is always a huge pile, and it's not just because she likes to be held.  It's because she has reflux. And spits up. A ton!  It's bad when you have to give a disclaimer before you let someone hold your child, but anytime someone wants to hold her I feel like I need to tell them she's probably going to cover them in spit up. And she almost always does.  Having a reflux baby is no fun...the laundry is crazy, but a lot of times she just seems uncomfortable.  She has been on Prilosec and Zantac, but neither seem to make her feel much better, and I just felt sorry for her...so I started looking for another solution.

Several moms suggested a Hazelwood necklace from Inspired By Finn.  I know what you're thinking.  How can a necklace help reflux?  I thought the same thing, so I started reading about it.  The Hazelwood actually soaks up the excess acid in the body.  It can relieve many acid-related ailments such as acid reflux, ulcers, heartburn, and other acid-related ailments. They can also take the edge off of heartburn and morning sickness during pregnancy.  Hazel wood also helps relieve skin problems such as (psoriasis, eczema, acne, and diaper rash) constipation, headaches, migraines, canker sores, and the occurrence of dental cavities when these ailments are related to excessive acid in the body (and sometimes they are not).  The necklaces do not contain chemical or any medicines, it is just Hazelwood (well, ours has pearl accent beads).

I was very intrigued after reading about them, so I ordered one. The youth necklaces are about $30, which I thought was a great price if it would work.  I waited impatiently to get it in, and she has been wearing it ever since.  We're on month 2 now, and I have definitely noticed a difference!  She doesn't spit up nearly as much!  She does still spit up some, but everyone that was around her before the necklace can definitely see there is a difference.  I have had so many people tell me how cute her necklace is, and when I go on to tell them what it does, they are always amazed!  If you or your child has reflux problems, I would definitely recommend this necklace!

Here is a picture of LB in her necklace

Be sure to check out Inspired By Finn on Facebook and tell her So Mommy sent you!

Look for a review of the Amber necklace for pain coming soon!

Paradise Valley

I recently received "Paradise Valley" by Dale Cramer from Bethany House Publishing.  While I received the book free, the opinions below are my own. 

Summary from CBD.com:

An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb's teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children's home.

Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there's inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb's idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he's established a foothold and assessed the situation.

My Review:

Before this book, I wasn't a huge fan of Amish fiction.  I liked to read them, but they weren't my favorite.  Dale Cramer did a wonderful job writing "Paradise Valley."  I didn't want to stop reading until the end!  My family has moved a lot since I was younger, so I completely sympathized with the daughters during the move.  While my moves were never this drastic, it was always hard to leave friends.  When daughter Rachel found out she was leaving her first love, she was very upset.  Another unmarried daughter feared she would never marry because they were leaving all of her potential 'mates'.  This family showed how important it is to stick together in these hard times.  When they were feeling down, another family member would be there for them.  There were many dangers awaiting the family in Paradise Valley, but thanks to "Gott" (God) they found help when they needed it.  I really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to read more by this author!

The Lady of Bolton Hill

 

I received "The lady of Bolton Hill" by Elizabeth Camden from Bethany House Publishing.  No other compensation was received, and the review is my own opinion.

Brief synopsis from CBD.com:

"Female journalists are rare in 1879, but American-born Clara Endicott has finally made a name for herself with her provocative articles championing London's poor. When the backlash from her work forces a return home to Baltimore, Clara finds herself face-to-face with a childhood sweetheart who is no longer the impoverished factory worker she once knew. In her absence, Daniel Tremain has become a powerful industry giant and Clara finds him as enigmatic as ever. However, Daniel's success is fueled by resentment from past wounds and Clara's deeply-held beliefs about God's grace force Daniel to confront his own motives. When Clara's very life is endangered by one of Daniel's adversaries, they must face a reckoning neither of them ever could have foreseen."

My Review

This book shows a women who knows her purpose in life and wants to follow God to get there.  It was nice to read a book about a women "back in the day" going after what she wanted, no matter the cost (even getting thrown in jail).  She also shows unmarried girls that you don't have to settle for a guy if he isn't what God wants you to have.  Clara knew she couldn't marry Daniel if he didn't share her beliefs, and she told him as much.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  It isn't an extremely exciting thriller or anything, but it was definitely a good read complete with fights, theives, and plots to kill!

Are We There Yet? Review and Giveaway

Are We There Yet?

Aurora Gifts is offering yet another line of adorable products - this time for kids on the go!  They have neckrests, ID tags, and even those cute "By My Side" leads.  Ever since Sydney was a tiny baby she has slept in the car.  At 2 1/2 years old, she STILL falls asleep in the car (she actually did today for an hour long drive)!  She always looks so uncomfortable with her head slumped over in her seat, so I was glad to get to try this out.  She wouldn't put it around her neck before she went to sleep (she still has the toddler "I'm not sleepy" thing going), but as soon as she went to sleep I reached around and put it behind her neck.  She looked a lot more comfortable to me and she seemed to like it as well.  These neckrests retail for about $13. 

 We also received a cute giraffe ID tag, which is awesome for kids bags!  It's a cute fluffy giraffe with a small ID card that slides in.  Definitely not readable from a distance, so I don't mind keeping it on the bag while Sydney wears it.  It just looks like a fluffy "charm" for her bag. These retail for $6.

Don't forget to check out Aurora's website for all of their gifts!  My daughter loves her Milly the Pinkest Kitty!

About Aurora World Inc.Aurora World, Inc. (http://www.auroragift.com/), celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2011, is a leading manufacturer and supplier of high quality, competitively priced plush toys and gifts. Aurora’s name reflects its extensive product lines and growing influence in the worldwide marketplace, as well as its international manufacturing, R&D and distribution resources. Founded in 1981, the Korean company with headquarters in the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Germany, has ascended quickly to become a respected leader in the world’s toy and gift character and contents industry. Aurora created the international plush toy phenomenon - YooHoo & Friends™ - and its corresponding free, interactive web site (http://www.yoohoofriends.com/), appealing to young children and tweens alike. The company sells its products via a wide variety of retailers including major zoos, high-end toy stores such as Learning Express, top gift chains such as Hallmark and Claire’s as well as hospital gift shops, fine florists, candy stores and gift/stationery stores worldwide.

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win a Kid's ID tag from Aurora Gifts!!

How to Enter: 

(1 entry) - ‘Like’ Aurora Gifts on Facebook HERE
(1 entry) - ‘Like’ So Mommy on Facebook HERE and let me know if you are a new fan
(1 entry) - Mention this giveaway on your facebook page and leave me the link

(1 entry) - Tell me which tag is your favorite!

**This giveaway ends on July 23, 2011 at 5 p.m. CST.  The winner will be selected by random draw and will have 48 hours to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.  This giveaway is open to US residents only.  I was given a free neckrest and ID tag in exchange for my review.  No other compensation was received.**