Man tests breast pump and lives to tell about it
Via Parent Hacks, I came to the DaddyLabs blog, where there are some really funny videos from Daddy Brad and Daddy Clay. Check out the one where they test a breast pump, and also, the episode where they vividly describe how to deal with poop in the tub.
Filed under Parenting | Comment (1)The best advice
My friend Char is having a group writing contest over at Weary Parent about advice we got from our parents. She extended the deadline to this afternoon, which gives me just enough time to get something in! The first thing that came to mind when I thought about this topic was more “warning” than advice, but it stands out as something that had a big impact on my behavior as I was growing up.
“Your sins will always find you out.”
I don’t remember when my mother first said this to me, but I remember doubting whether it was true. How would anyone know what I did if no one saw it? I believed I could cover up the mistake and no one would be the wiser. It never worked! I couldn’t figure out how she always knew when I’d done something wrong! As I got older, I just gave up trying, for the most part. I remember a time (I was maybe 10 years old) when I was horsing around near the piano and broke one of her little wooden angels she had bought in Germany. There was no one around, so I put the angel back up on the piano, towards the back so it would be less noticeable and went on about my business. There was no reason to tell that I had broken something, right? It might be weeks before anyone noticed, and then how could they pin it on me? The rest of the day, the phrase echoed around in my mind: Your SINS will ALWAYS find you out! Your SINS will ALWAYS find you out! Finally, I just had to go tell her, because I knew she would find out anyway.
I appreciate the fact that there was no punishment for wrong-doing as I was growing up without the reminder that it’s always better to just be honest and straightforward when you make mistakes. This advice is as applicable in the playroom as it is in the boardroom.
Filed under Parenting, Writing Projects | Comments (2)Parenting Job Description
(Laura sent this to me in an e-mail. Not sure where it originated, but I thought it was cute.)
POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma, Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop
JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES :
Duration: the rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.
Baby and toddler sleep tips - what works for me
Being a mother to only 1 child (and an aunt to 1), I feel a little silly doling out anything related to parenting. There are so many people who are so much more experienced than I. But, I suppose every child is different and what works for me might just help someone else who’s trying to find a solution. Jack is a great sleeper, great at going to bed, not so great at sleeping late, but that’s just how he’s built. He was not always a great sleeper though. But, I believe sleep is one of the keys to having a happy child and a happy Mommy, so we have really worked at it. So, here are the things that have worked for me:1. If they won’t sleep when they’re really little on their back, try wedging something on either side of them (Laura used rolled up towels), or letting them sleep in a carseat. They may just need to feel snugglier. I wish I had known this sooner! Jack had such a hard time getting through the night. The open crib was just too open for him. He got a cold at about 5 months and the pediatrician suggested sleeping him in his carseat. He slept through the night for the first time that night and has ever since. The Noggin Nest
2. I started out taking all the advice about developing a bedtime/naptime routine, and just have gotten away from doing anything at all and found that it doesn’t make any difference. I now try never to get in the habit of doing anything at bedtime or nap time. Maybe some kids need routine, and maybe Jack’s just not one of them, but even with Emily, who I have during the day - I put them down, say “night night” and leave the room. No problem.
3. When there is crying, which happens every couple of months, unless it is screaming because something is wrong, I do not go in Jack’s room. If I think something might be wrong, I feel for a diaper leak, comfort him for a minute and do not go back in again. When Jack started testing the sleep thing at about 15 months (”hey, maybe I don’t have to listen to Mommy after all. Maybe I don’t have to go to bed when she says or stay in my bed all night.”) because he had been such a good sleeper, I thought something surely is wrong with him. By the time I finally realized he was just testing, I had made the problem worse by going in several times and even laying down in his room on the couch trying to help him understand it was night-night time.
4. I try to put Jack down for a nap with a full tummy.
5. Crying it out works. Every person I’ve ever known that did it says so.
6. I try and go into Jack’s room as quickly as possible when he does wake up. (He’s not one of those kids who will play in their crib for a while before really wanting to get up) This way, when he does cry at 5am because he thinks it’s time to get up, it’s relatively short because after getting no response and knowing that crying is not going to accomplish anything, he goes back to sleep. This also is keeping him from trying to climb out of his crib, which I’m sure he could do if he really wanted to.
7. Using a cloth diaper (the thin kind) to put over Jack’s face as he was trying to go to sleep worked great. I guess this is pretty common- for some kids just a light breathable cloth over their face as they’re fussing, trying to get to sleep is just what they need to “turn the lights out”. Cloth diapers make perfect “loveys” as well. Jack always asks for his “night-night” when he’s getting into bed.
What are some sleep tips that have worked for you? I’m particularly interested in what will work as Jack transitions out of the crib into a big boy bed some time in the next year.
Find more helpful hints at “Works for me Wednesday” over at Rocks in my Dryer.
