Why didn't I think of this?

Why not?
I guess not SUCH a bad idea if your kid isn't prone to dust allergies!
HAHAHA

-SBH

What Is Beautiful?

The media is constantly publishing articles on what a “beautiful woman” is. She is usually really thin, wearing alot of make-up and has obviously never had a child. Most of it is moderately offensive- and for some reason it requires us to be wearing a lace bra and thong.

I can say that I would love to look like I did at 23 years old with my boobs and butt up to here and flat stomach, not to mention the boundless energy and ability to wear shoes other then flip flops or sneakers. What I can'’t say is that I regret having a child even though my boobs are now down to there and stomach is no where close to flat and will probably never know what it is to flat ever again. I have felt that my success as a mother is somehow measured by what I look like also. Look at all those celebrities who after 3 weeks have their old body back. I mean, I know we can all SO afford a personal trainer, pilates instructor, chef and stylist-not to mention that we also have so much time to indulge ourselves. It is so ridiculous and this is NOT most of our realities.

A beautiful woman- in my opinion- is not the stereotypical image we have all been led to believe in. She does not spend 4 hours a day at the gym, eat 1200 calories a day, and have perfect hair and nails. She is that one you see walking down the street with a baby in a stroller and toddler walking at her side. She has managed to brush her hair, she ISN'”T wearing sweatpants and her toddler actually listens to her. She doesn’'t have a particular shape- small or large but she is comfortable in her skin and she is just happy with who she is and where she fits in this universe. She is loving to her kids, nice to people around her and when she smiles, she radiates. That is what I would hope to be. I think that our kids think we are beautiful no matter what, so maybe we should just revel in this? Last night I had lipstick on- a rare occasion- and I asked my 2 1/2 year old if she liked it and if I looked pretty with it. She cocked her head to the side, looked at me for a moment in thought and said definitively "“No".”
I think our kids must like us JUST as we are- so we should try to as well.…….

-SBH

Love is....

A group of professionals posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

Jessica - age 8
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."

Rebecca- age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."

Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."

Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."

Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."

Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."

Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"

Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"

Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."

Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."

Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."

Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."

Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."

Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt."

Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."

Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."

Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image)

Karen - age 7
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a 4 year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

- LT

Importance of Mothers...Even in the Wild

Pictures by Steve Bloom. His book Untamed is published by Harry N Abrams...available on Amazon.

- LT

Sleep Training- A baby's view

I don' know who wrote this but it is HILARIOUS!
Sleep Training - A Baby's View

OK, here's my situation.
My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great--I cried, she picked me up and fed me,
anytime, day or night. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to sleep through the night.

At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse.
I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months.
Here's the thing:
These Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep--they just don't need it anymore.
So I am implementing a plan.
I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.
It goes like this:
Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.

Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed.

Night 3--every hour.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights.
Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer.
These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in.
I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her sleep through the night, just once, she will expect it every
night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change.
If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.

Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it.
BE CONSISTENT! .
I cried for any reason I could come up with.
My sleep sack tickled my foot.

I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.

My mobile made a shadow on the wall.

I burped, and it tasted like pears. I hadn't eaten pears since lunch, what's up with
that?

The cat said "meow". (I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day.)

Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.

Too hot, too cold, just right--doesn't matter! Keep crying!!
It took awhile, but it worked.
She fed me at 4am.
Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am.
You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.

P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me.

F is for Fingerpainting

We make Playdough all the time at home, but had no idea you could make fingerpaint too - damn this is a mess in our house. Even the 'washable' paint that I've bought has somehow stained the hardwood floors. Found this courtesy of Martha Stewart. Good old Martha. I get the feeling she's not so keen on messy kids though...

Homemade finger paints are nontoxic, washable, and always available. Stir 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 cup cornstarch together; add 2 cups of cold water, and heat over medium heat until the mixture is thick (the mixture will further thicken as it cools). Divide into four or more containers, and add food coloring as desired.

- LT

Passover fun!

Grab your crayons, markers or colred pencils and color to your hearts content!

Happy Passover!

-SBH

Celebrity Money & Pregnancy

Heidi Klum SIX WEEKS after birth and Heidi pregnant.

I don't normally link to other

Mommy Blogs

- but thought this a hilarious post about celebrity pregnancy and how they look so good so quickly after birthing. I say this as I decide how to lose the extra 10 - 20 that my doctor urged me to lose. Ugh - how annoying.

- LT