Cool Toothbrush for Kids

Need help getting your little ones to brush their teeth? Check out "Dr. Fresh Firefly Blinking Children's Toothbrush". I originally bought this as a 2 pack in Target for like $2.00 (one for the Toddler, one for the Infant who has 2 teeth as well). I got it because I thought it was a good price. When I got home and opened the package, the toothbrushes started to blink (hence the name "firefly"). My toddler was very interested in this. To get her to brush her teeth longer and (hopefully) better - I told her she had to keep brushing her teeth until the light stopped blinking (it lasts about a minute). I wanted to pass this tip along to all of you parents who might be having a hard time trying to get your kids to brush their teeth. Good luck and happy smiles!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just want to wish all of you wonderful mother's out there a very Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy the day - relax - take time to enjoy being with your family.
And now a poem about "real mothers" I found while searching the web that caught my interest. Enjoy!

Real Mothers
Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.
Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.
Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.
Real Mothers know that dried playdough doesn't come out of shag carpet.
Real Mothers sometimes ask "why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says, "because I love you best."
Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade. . .It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mommy to Mother.
- Author Unknown.

Sunshine Day!!

The sun has finally made it's way to our part of the country! It's warm and comfortable to take a walk, go to the park, feed the ducks, go fishing, you name it - it's a great day to do it! So get outside with the kids today! Even just for a little while! We've already went for a walk to the library (which didn't last long because the toddler didn't want to sit still today for story hour - I don't blame her - it's too nice outside to be inside!). Took a walk around town. Rode bikes and colored with sidewalk chalk. I'm thinking blowing bubbles will be a good one for after nap time too! And tomorrow - here we come to the pond to get our toes in the sand and water and feed the ducks and fish!!

Inspirational Quotes - to get us through this crappy rainy day

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. ~Helen Keller

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will. ~Jawaharal Nehru

The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. ~Elbert Hubbard

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. ~William Feather

As I grow to understand life less and less,I learn to love it more and more. ~Jules Renard

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. ~William Arthur Ward

Cool Flowers for Mother's Day

I originally found this in one of the parenting magazines (cannot remember which one right now) but I thought it was a cool art & craft for Mother's Day. Daddy & Toddler (mostly Daddy) ended up finishing them but they still came out great! Basically, you cut 1 inch strips of construction paper, take a 3 hole punch to make 3 holes in each strip, thread a pipe cleaner through a button then thread 4-5 of each of the construction paper strips (folded over so the holes line up) through each pipe cleaner until you have a full head of a flower. Ta-da! There you have it! We used old Gerber Puffs and other containers around the house for vases - covered them with wrapping paper and stickers to pretty them up.

My Latest Favorite Salada Teadom Quote

Time spent in getting even would be better spent in getting ahead.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) is a national holiday in Mexico to celebrate the victory of the Battle of Puebla won in 1862 against the French. They celebrate with food (burritos, roasted corn, tacos, fajitas, etc.), lively music for all ages, lots of dancing and lots of colorful attire. Help your kids celebrate Cinco de Mayo - even if it just means eating a Mexican dinner (like tacos) and making fun crafts (see http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/cinco-de-mayo/index.html for ideas).

A Good Day - UPDATE

This is how a good day turns into a not so good day...

Dog poops on the rug after having chased and attacked the vacuum
Clean rug - try to keep girls away from wet rug - while trying to start dinner
Last minute change of childcare for following day (nobodies fault - these things happen) but it makes for crazy last minute changes to plan and drop off/pick up which then makes for a very cranky husband (because he hates change of any kind and gets anxiety over it)
Screaming girls while trying to get them dressed into their pj's for bedtime
An hour of a half of studying...

And now - bedtime.

Procrastinating...

Procrastination - to put off till another day or time; defer; delay. Yup - that's what I'm doing. I really should be studying for part 3 of 3 of the QuickBooks ProAdvisor Certification - but alas - I am on facebook, my email, blogging...even thinking of finishing the laundry - anything to avoid going back to studying. But that means that I'll have to do it tonight - once both girls are in bed - and I'm exhausted - and will therefore probably not retain much of what I read so I guess that means I should probably do it now - while both girls are napping - and the dogs are (thankfully) quiet. Ah well...it will pay off in the end.

A Good Day

Both kids slept until 6:45 - Mom got to sleep in!!
Breakfast, baths/shower, laundry, dishes, beds, vacuuming done by 10:30am - no whining or fighting yet!!
Out the door for a nice walk through town (as little as it is) - still going strong!
Lunch, cleanup, more laundry, both girls down for naps by 1pm - time to relax!