by Liz | All Things Kids, Chaos Hacks
We have officially reached the diaper blowout stage. No solid foods have been introduced yet so we are blessed with the over so lovely mustard poop that stains everything!
I’ve tossed a few outfits and lived with many a stain in my day but after a week of eruptions, even after upping the diaper size and liberally applying stain remover to no avail…something had to give. The consensus of online research seemed to say that an overnight soak in Oxiclean and a regular wash with your favorite detergent should do the trick.
We’ve had plenty of practice and I’d add a few tips. Try to rinse off as much debris as possible before soaking. Also, try to avoid letting the offending stain set in by soaking as soon as possible. I’ve gone as long as 24-36 hours before soaking so far and have still had success.
Here’s hoping we manage to preserve a few more outfits!
by Liz | All Things Kids
Just when you hit your stride and begin to see light in your exhaustion filled days. During your triumphant visit to the pediatrician to report a decent nights sleep you get the dreaded news…your baby has developed flat head! Good sleepers are prone to flat head, go figure.
The good news is that despite your inevitable incessant worrying, most cases resolve themselves on their own. It’s essentially a cosmetic problem and as the baby spends more time upright or on their belly, the head gradually returns to a more rounded shape. In many cases, the worry is more about the muscles on one side of the neck losing flexibility because of the tendency to turn a certain direction.
The bad news is that despite having myriad sources tell you this information, you’ll probably spend hours examining your baby’s head from every angle. You mean it’s not normal to take weekly pictures of the top of your child’s head? Hmm. How about obsessively using sleep positioners to angle her to sleep facing the opposite of her favored direction?
Let’s just say we are improving but we are not out of the woods yet!
by Liz | All Things Kids
Looking back, it’s almost impossible to remember life before one child, let alone two. Yet, I can vividly remember thinking…”What did I do with my time before having Lena?” I mean, really. How did I ever think I was busy?
I think you get the same sensation in triplicate when you have a second child. I can’t even fathom what a third must be like. It took is quite some time to come to terms with having a second child. Lena was our baby, out first. Life was pretty full and she seemed so small. Even after a year, the thought of her being a big sister seemed alien. Regardless of the fact that she was constantly mistaken for a three year old, she just seemed too tiny!
And then, the fateful day arrived and Maggie was born. Suddenly, Lena seems enormous! How did we ever think she was a baby? Did she grow six inches overnight?? Impossibly, inexplicably your love grew to encompass both children in an even more profound way. Every moment becomes that much more precious because you now know just how fleeting it all is. Your new parent woes seem trivial and yet some come to light with even more intensity than ever before.
Life is full of triumphs and frustrations made all the more poignant by a new level of exhaustion. Yet, the sweetest rewards are all the more intense for having been hard won. A day, a week, a month goes by in a series of blinding flashbulbs that quickly fade into obscurity.
Keep your cameras at the ready because you haven’t a hope of remembering a thing about this wild ride otherwise.
by Liz | Chaos Hacks, Health & Home, Life Snapshot, The Backyard
Parenthood is stressful. That’s a no brainer. So when something comes along that can simplify your life, you jump on it. Right?
One of my biggest concerns has always been ensuring my kids get a good meal. I try hard not to let them eat too many processed foods and as a result, we’ve been buying better products for the entire family. I can’t see this as a problem, except for one thing. The cost.
Purchasing organic produce and products that adhere to a higher standard comes at a high dollar value. Not only that but you can spend hours in the grocery store reading labels in order to make good food choices. It’s exhausting and parenting is challenging enough as it is!
Stores like Trader Joe’s try to take the guess-work out of the equation. In not expecting perfection but it’s a huge relief to know that whatever winds up in my cart is something I am comfortable buying for my family. Their prepared foods are delicious and I’ve always been satisfied with the quality of their products. All that comes with reasonable prices! Not only reasonable but often at much lower prices than I’d pay elsewhere.
The bottom line is TJ tries hard to supply great food. I’ve become a total convert and wish we had one close to us. Maybe someday soon a store will come to our area…until then I’ll just stock up whenever I can!
Maybe I’ll send in a few dozen location requests in the meantime. ;-).
40.84225-72.579119
by Liz | All Things Kids
Why do the evening hours feel like a ridiculously intricate dance that no one has taught you the steps for?
It all begins with a little quickstep. Fast and furious is the name of the game as you attempt to finish up the day, get food on the table, negotiate exhaustion fueled temper tantrums and attempt baths or some semblance of cleanliness.
Next up is the fox trot, an attempt at winding down interspersed with frenzy. Books! Music! Brushing teeth! Potty attempt number three!
And the finale, a Venetian waltz. This can go one of two ways, a singular beautiful decent into slumber or a hideous nightmare fraught with disjointed highs and lows. If the cadence isn’t just right, disaster soon follows. Those beguiling notes draw out a goodnight kiss and then cajole another story, just a tiny, little story you are assured. Only, soon you are met with new a assurances and more desperate pleas for more.
Live in hope, however because the tiny conductors eventually exhaust themselves and rest. All to begin again, leaving us slightly more exhausted but ready for the debut of a new performance with the dawn (literally) of a new day.
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