real mom advice

My Etsy shop

2010-01-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

So I am starting to make wine charms and sell them on Etsy. If you are interested, just follow the link =)

I am also willing to make custom charms. Just let me know what you want!

chapped face

2009-12-31T12:07:00.000-08:00

My 2 year old had a really bad cold last week, All snot and slime everywhere eyes were all watery, fun times. Well, in the process of her snotting her face up she ended up with chapped nose and cheeks. I found a small trick that cleared up her chapped face in a day.

first, before bed I put diaper cream on her face. Then in the morning I rubbed a small amount of baby oil on her face. I put baby oil on her face again later in the day. by night time, the chapped cheeks were gone. =)

Bible Bingo

2009-09-15T05:34:00.000-07:00

So, in our house we have bible study every Monday and Thursday nights. For a while we were doing these worksheets and all. That was good but I could tell the kids were getting rather bored with it and starting to loose interest in the whole thing. So this week, I made up bible study bingo from information from the lessons we have had in the past. I made little sheets with a 5x5 grid (about 1 inch for each square). In the middle of the grid, I did the traditional “free” space. All the others I filled in the answers to the questions I was going to ask (I wrote the questions on a separate piece of paper first, and highlighted the answers so I would not read the answer by accident). There were 24 spaces and 24 questions. Then I cut the questions up and shook them in a jar, as I pulled out the paper and read the question the kids would find the answer and put a “chip” on the space. In order to make sure they had a bingo I would have them read the answer and then tell me the question it went with. When they got a bingo, they got to pick a piece of candy from the candy jar.

We used memory verses, books of the bible and questions from past lessons. For example; one question was “what book comes after numbers?” then they would find Deuteronomy. Another one was “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” then they would have to find Romans 3:23

The kids not only had fun but it was a great refresher in all the things we had been working on.

Homework Centers

2009-08-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from "family Fun" magazine. I changed it a bit to make it my own, I like things to have a bit more flair ;) It is made out of a tri-fold display board cut in half. I think it is easier to just show you all a picture of what I did and not try and explaine it, lol so here are all 4 of the "centers" I made.

Hospital Packing List

2009-08-19T05:32:00.001-07:00

For you during labor:

-focal point

-chapstick

-change for vending machine (you cant get anything but it is nice for you labor coach to be able to get something)

-sour suckers(they help with nausea)

-tennis ball (used for rubbing on your lower back)

-socks to keep you warm

-book/magazine for your partner to read

-camera

-list of people to call and the numbers

-hair tie

Thing you need in your hospital bag (not for labor):

-nursing pads

-book/magazine

-lotion

-shampoo/conditioner

-body wash

-toothbrush/toothpaste

-cell phone charger

-going home clothes

For the baby:

-going home outfit

-breast pump

-a few blankets for the ride home

-make sure the car seat is in the car

- diaper bag for the car ride home. In the bag should be- bottle, passy, diapers, wipes, change of clothes

bug bites

2009-08-12T05:08:00.000-07:00

I don’t know about you, but it seems to me like the bugs are biting full force this year. I have not just one or two bites, but at least 5 or 6 at a time! So I am here to give you all some tricks to help with the itches.

-Benadryl is always a fast helper to stop the itching. But beware….some people it knocks them out and others it makes them hyper. And don’t ever over do it ;)

- deodorant, just rub it on the bug bite for a quick fix to the itches.

- this is the best home remedy I have found so far (and tried it out on myself). Make a paste from water and asprin. Yup, it’s that simple! Just make the paste and rub it on. For me it worked to stop the itching right away =)

-last, remember to wear bug repellent if you plan to be outside for a while. It is better to not get the bites in the first place.

make your own diaper wipes!

2009-08-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

you will need:

-round air-tight container (as big around as a roll of paper towels and as tall as 1/2 a roll of paper towels)

- a roll of paper towels. Any brand will do but for tiny hineys I like the select a size.

-baby soap

-baby oil

-warm water

First, cut the roll of paper towels in half so you have 2 short round rolls. Then take out the cardboard in the middle. Place one of the rolls in the container. Fill a glass with warm water. Add about 1 tablespoon of both the baby soap and the baby oil. Mix but do not mix hard, you don’t want any bubbles. Pour the mix over the paper towels and put the lid on. Let that sit for a few hours. When you are ready to use them, pull from the middle of the roll.

this is what no one tells you...

2009-07-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Kids take stupid pills. Yup, every morning when you are asleep, they sneak out of bed and take stupid pills. you will know if you child is on stupid pills if they have any of these side effects:

-whining

-loss of hearing

-seem to have no common sense

-fighting with other children on stupid pills

-lying

-tattling

-they don't stop saying "mom" all day long.

-they say "I don't get it" on a daily basis

my kids all take stupid pills.

side note...

2009-07-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

I will be posting all kinds of things about parenting/pregnancy/childbirth. But I may not go in order for it all ;)

teething

2009-07-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

teething sucks. the baby gets cranky, then you get cranky, then the baby gets cranky b/c you are cranky...it is a vicious cycle. so here are my tips for getting thru the awful teething stage.

-remember to be calm. the baby picks up on your emotions. so if you are crabby then they will be too. and add that on top of an already cranky baby and you have a really big mess.

-take some wash cloths, maybe 5. and get them wet. ring them out and put them in the freezer. when the baby is fussy you can give hm.her one to chew on.

-always keep a bib on them b/c they you don't have to change their clothes so much.

-butterscotch schnapps. it is not high in alcohol content (no more then medicine is) and it taste better too. just rub a bit on their gums.

-if they are able to eat any solid foods then Cheerios are great. it gives them something to bite on without being a choking hazard.

-try not to give them Tylenol too often, you don't want them to build up a tolerance for it. but maybe every other day is good for them to have with all the pain that teething brings on.

for new moms

2009-07-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

-if the baby is fussy and really needs to burp- lay the baby tummy side down on your lap. then as you gently sway your legs pat from their but to the top of their back and work you way back down.

-this sounds mean but it works. if you need to give a baby medicine and they keep spitting it out, take the dropper and put the meds all the way to the back of their mouth and on the side, not down the middle. then blow when you get the meds in. this causes them to take a breath and they swallow the meds

-if you run out of diaper rash cream- put neosporine(sp?) on and then Vaseline.

-when changing a baby boy- first undo the diaper and expose him. then cover him back up. the cold air makes him pee and it is better if he pees in the old diaper. also, aim his penis down when you put the clean diaper on. that way he does not pee out the top of the diaper.

-when the baby is sleeping DONT BE QUIET!!!! do whatever you always do. if you wanna vacume, go ahead. the baby will learn to sleep thru noise. if you are quiet all the time then the baby will wake up at every little noise.

random advise

2009-07-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

-baby powder gets sticky things off your shoes

-never put any carbonated beverage in a sippy cup

-if the kids have lice...after you treat their hair, mix tea tree oil and water in a spray bottle and spray it in their hair.

-to get a baby to eat solid food- start off by mixing rice or oatmeal to the baby food. then each time add more rice or oatmeal until it is really think like mashed potatoes. this will get them used to more solid textures.

-if your kid likes to take his/her diaper off and play in the poop at nap times, just give then one thing of play dough to play with durring their nap.

- lavender and chamomile has a calming effect. bath and body has a lavender and chamomile spray. i use it at nap time and bed time.

-dont be afraid to say NO! even to really little ones. they DO understand and will learn right away.

-be consistant in all you do with them. it pays off ;)

the consequence jar

2009-07-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

this is pretty simple.

when the kids break a rule in the house, they have to pull from the consequence jar. it can be any container really, as long as it has a lid and enough room to shake it up. their punishment is then whatever the paper says.

i like doing this because then i dont have to think of a fitting punishment. they may get off easy but then they may not.

this is what i have in my jar:

-write out why what you did was wrong

-scrub kitchen table, if it is messy clean it off first

-clean up back yard all by yourself

-serve all your brothers and sisters a snack....but you dont get one for yourself

-wash and put away dishes

-grounded for a day

-take all dirty laundry to laundry room

-parents choice

-scrub the bathtub

-wipe out the fridge

-stand in corner for 20 minutes

-loose 1 ticket

- loose 2 tickets

-pick up sticks in front yard

-write out an apology

-stand in corner for 10 minutes

-mop kitchen floor

that is all i have in there for now. i may add more later ;)

welcome!

2009-07-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

welcome to my blog! i am a mother of 6 kids and 1 teen. 5 of the little ones are mine and my husband has one and the teen. the teen is almost 17. our younger children are:

boy 9 (almost 10...wowza!)

girl 7

his is girl is also 7

girl 5

girl 3

girl 1 1/2

so here in ten years i am thinking my husband will have a shotgun with him at all times, lol.

my intent for this blog is to post all my mommy advice. raising 6 kids is hard, but so is raising one ;)

i hope you all can learn from me like i have learned from other wonderful moms.