Over or Under

This seems to be the universal debate between husbands and wives.  Which way do you roll your toilet paper?  Actually I had to look when I saw this poll!  I had no idea.  After checking all three bathrooms in our house, it seems to be over, probably just because it's habit, I guess.  Honestly, I doubt my husband would even notice if it was under.

Of course, we just started putting the roll of toilet paper back on the toilet roll holders.  With a two year old potty training, a roll of toilet paper was just too much temptation to resist and she would pull the entire roll off the tube if we let her.

Join in the debate and visit Cottenelle to voice your opinion on over or under!  If you leave a comment to this post, you have a chance to win 1 of 10 gift baskets, Cottenelle is giving away.  Post a comment by January 29th, 2010.  Cottonelle will choose one comment by random from all entries they receive.

Good luck!


By writing this post I am participating in a contest to win a month's worth of free toilet paper as a member of the Mom Bloggers Club.  Who couldn't use free toilet paper?  If I win, it will be donated to a local non-profit organization.

What Makes a Great Teacher?

As a former educator I love reading education articles.  Someone had tweeted about this article online and I had to check it out.  As a parent, school is looming in the distance for my daughters but even I know how quickly time flies.  I am just getting ready to look at preschools for my two year old.  Can you believe that you have to start calling in January to have your child enrolled in a preschool for September? 

In an age where test scores rule and many parents choose to homeschool their children or use cyberschool, the question is often asked about how to measure teacher effectiveness. The article on The Atlantic is called "What Makes a Great Teacher".   How do you quantify qualities that make a good teacher?  An associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania and her peers seem to have determined a way to quantify perseverance.  It seems that based on teachers in the Teach for America Program (they recruit teachers for urban and rural schools), teachers who persevered, had long-term goals, and were satisfied with their lives made better teachers.  Other predictors included college grade point average the last two years of college and meeting or exceeding previous leadership goals. There are also video links that allow you to take a peak inside the classroom of four teachers who demonstrate effective teaching skills.  

Since we as parents are our little ones first teachers and we continue to be role models, this article and the videos were reminders of how we can better teach our children.  It's not just about subject matter but also about making our children believe in themselves and that they can do whatever they set their minds to.  It is also about consequences and accountability.  It is also about working with our children's teachers to make sure our children are getting the best education possible.  Maybe one day, our children will be at the head of the class.

Wordless Wednesday

I kept seeing pictures on other sites on Wordless Wednesdays.  I thought I would join in on the fun. 

 I doubt any explanation is needed for this picture.  She is sitting on the lid to her toy box.

Oh, the imagination of little ones.

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

What a Mess!

My car has both of our daughters' car seats installed.  Whenever we go anywhere as a family, we use my car and I always drive my car whether I have the girls or not.

The other week my husband wanted to make a Dunkin Donuts run.  I didn't want to go along since I had laundry and a bunch of other never ending chores to do.  Going along for a ride held no appeal.  Of course, I probably could have caught another 15 minutes of sleep, which I will not usually pass up.  But it was almost our 5 month old's feeding time and mommy has to be around for that since she does not take a bottle, at least not without a lot of tears.  And screaming.  Did I mention the quivering lip that makes my heart bleed? 

I did suggest, rather nicely, that he could take our two year old with him for company. She loves nothing more than pointing out all the landmarks.  "Look, library...look light,  Christmas tree house (don't quite know where she got that one)..snow...Daddy...donuts, Daddy...coffee". My husband was shocked she recognized Dunkin Donuts on one of our excursions. Until I pointed out, a trip through the drive-thru has become a weekend ritual since our second munchkin was born. We usually stop on our way to somewhere.

He came breezing through the door about 20 minutes later exclaiming, "Emily tell your mommy what you told me!"

My darling looked up at me with big eyes, "mommy's car a mess".  To punctuate this, she holds her arms up and squels, "what a mess."

I look at my husband accusingly, "you taught her that!"

"No I did not," he replies.

"Uh-huh".

"Really, I didn't.  She said it when I was buckling her into her car sear.  This is your fault." He starts to eat his bagel grinning at me.  "Your the one always saying, 'what a mess' when she happens to throw the remnants of her breakfast on the floor or when she knocks over her milk or when she overturns the cats water dish. Don't blame me."

You know, I think he's telling the truth.  I do say that to her.  A lot.  If we don't take her food away as soon as she is done eating, it may become a flying projectile or food for the cat, except our cat doesn't eat people food.  Ever.  I walk out to my car to survey the "mess".  Yep, my daughter is right.  It's a mess. A huge mess.  It's just that with a toddler and an infant just getting them into a house can be an ordeal.  I have a tendency to leave all the baby paraphernalia in the car.  It doesn't help that I suffer from, "I'll do it tomorrow syndrome".

My daughter's purse that usually contains her Barbie mirror, ring, and notepad  lies empty on the back seat between the two car seats.  Its contents lying on the floor amidst the goldfish crackers and cheerios that were a snack at some point.  An empty sippy cup is also on the floor, probably thrown there after my daughter emptied it.  A scarf, two hats, and a pair of sunglasses are also on the seat under the bjorn baby carrier that has been in the car since we went hunting for pumpkins in October.  The overstuffed diaper bag was open and overflowing on the floor, a spit up cloth and a recieving blanket hanging over the side.  Diapers jammed in the top.  A stuffed bear also had found his way to the floor. Underneath the diaper bag lay a file folder stuffed with papers. 

Needless to say, my daughter learning to say, "what a mess" propelled me to action.  My backseat was cleaned out within minutes.  Really, it was only partly my mess.  Let's give credit where credit was due.  Vacumming would have to wait though until it was no longer in the single digits outside.  I wasn't that motivated.  I went back inside and told my daughter and my husband, who were enjoying their doughnuts, that "Mommy had cleaned up her mess".

Driving On a Road of Green

Imagine driving on snowy roads...green, snowy roads.  Roll down the car window.  Sniff, sniff.  Is that green tea I smell?  If you live in the town of Etten-Leur in the Netherlands, than the answer would be, yes.  The Netherlands are facing a salt shortage.  Normally they use 70,000 tons of salt on wintry roads.  This year they have already used over 100,000 tons.  Friends who live in the Netherlands emailed us about radio reports of a northern town who had purchased 18 tons of bath salts in case of bad weather to put on the roads.  The town has purchased the bath salts which smell of lavendar, green tea, and mango to spread on the icy roads.

According to the email from our friends, comments on a newspaper website included:

"Was riding my bike, but slipped and fell. But it smelled soooo goooooood, that I just stayed there on the ground. In fact, I'm still here ... mmmmmm"

"Well, if the bathing salt also comes with naked men, I want that in my town as well !!"

Apparently, the Dutch have taken to calling the town Etten-Geur which supposedly means Etten-Smell.

The Lowdown on Finding and Keeping a Good Babysitter

For a mom's night out, a date with the hubby, or just some much needed R & R, who are you going to call?  Why, a babysitter, of course.  You may have a relative, a neighbor, or a friend on speed dial for those times when you need someone to watch the kids.  Finding someone whom you trust to watch your most precious treasures can sometimes be a difficult process, especially if you have just moved or don't have any close friends or family around to rely on.  Here are some tips for finding a babysitter, keeping them, and the pertinent information all babysitters should have at their disposal.

Where to find sitters
Sittercity
This is a site where you can find sitters in your area.  You can look at the hours they are available, what ages they are willing to babysit, their references, and if they have any clearance checks.


Local colleges
Good choices are colleges that have education programs. Here is where you can find students who plan on entering the education field. Not only will they have a background in education but they will often already have clearance checks.

Churches
Teens and adults often volunteer in the nursery program and may be willing to babysit for you.

Babysitting Coops
These are becoming popular.  You can trade babysitting serivices with friends or moms in your area.  You earn points when you babysit other people's children that you can use to redeem for free babysitting for your family.  Smart Mom's Babysitting Coop has free information on how to organize a coop. The National Network for Childcare and  iVillage  all have useful information about how to form a coop.  If you want to try to find a coop near you, you can enter your zip code at BabysitterExchange to see a list of local coops.

Old Standbys include friends, friends' children, relatives, or neighbors

Questions to ask potential sitters
These are just possible questions you may want to ask based on how well you know the person who will be babysitting for you.

What experience do you have babysitting or working with children (do they have siblings and/or have they watched children that are not related)?
Do you still babysit for any of your former clients?
What hours or days are you available?  Are you available at the last minute?
What ages would you prefer to babysit?
Are you experienced in CPR and first aid?
Do you have references or clearance checks?
Have you had any training? (ie. American Red Cross Babysitting Course)
How are you doing in school?  Will babysitting interfere with homework?
Do you have transportation to and from my house?  Do your parents approve of you babysitting (question to ask if they are teens)?
How much do you charge?
Have you had any experiences handling emergencies or children with special needs?
What activities would you do with my children?
What are your hobbies or special interests?
Are you comfortable with pets?
How would you handle discipline issues (give examples)?
What would you do if there was an emergency?
Do you know how to make easy meals, prepare bottles, change diapers?
What do you like most about babysitting and what do you like least?
List three qualities that you possess that a good babysitter should have.
Is there anything I can do to make your babysitting my children easier or a better experience? (You may want to readdress this after they have babysat your child.)

Money 
How much should you pay? In all honesty, it will vary based on the number of children and other circumstances.  It should be an amount that both you and your sitter agree on.  Sittercity has a rate caluclator that I used to figure out how much babysitters in my area are getting paid.  The amount is about $10/hour regardless of experience or age.  Based on conversations with other moms though, they usually only pay about $5-$6/hour to their teen sitters or a little more for more than one child.  A lot of the time the kids they are babysitting are in bed for most of the time.  If the sitter is traveling with you for vacation, staying overnight, is a college student, is a nanny rather than an occasional babysitter, or there is more than one child, then the amount you pay may be different.  If you live in the city or the suburbs the going rate may be a little higher.

Paving the way for the sitter to stay with your children
Have the sitter come visit while you are home so that the children can meet the sitter and get to know them.  This will help make your children less anxious when you do leave.  It also lets you see how the babysitter interacts with your children.  You can guarantee that questions will arise on both your parts so this way there is a chance to address them upfront before the sitter "goes it alone".

What information should you give a babysitter?
Schedules (ie. when the kids eat, go to bed, and when should homework be done)
Special care instructions for pets
Household rules (ie. tv, computer, what foods children can and can't have, behavior, areas of the home that are off-limits, and bedtime)
Safety instructions (ie. answering the phone, alarm system instructions, answering the door bell, and where exits are located) 
Your address, home phone number, cell phone numbers to contact you or the number of your destination, and emergency numbers (ie. police, fire, doctors, and poison control center)
Medical Information (ie. a copy of medical insurance information, any allergies, or medications that the children take)
When you will be home
What situations warrant a call to you or 911
What to do in case of an emergency
Is there an adult nearby that they can have help in the case of an emergency (ie. a neighbor)
What your expectations are of them (ie. do you expect them to have the kids pick up their toys, have the dinner dishes put away, phone use, and whether they can have friends over)

Remember to also treat your babysitter like a guest of the childrens and remind your children to treat them with respect.  Hopefully this information helps finding and using a babysitter more hassle free and gives you a chance to enjoy your time away from your children.

The Little Cowgirl Boots

When I was pregnant we had decided not to find out whether we were having a boy or a girl. The nursery was decked out in primary colors with an alphabet and an animal theme. All the baby clothes, blankets, and bedding were neutral colors.

When I was in labor my doctor made a bet with the delivery nurse that I was having a girl based on how I was carrying. I said I didn't care and that as long as the baby was healthy we would be the luckiest parents in the world.

Secretly though throughout my pregnancy we had hoped for a boy. Without a boy, my husband's family name would die. He is the last male of his generation to carry on the family name. Talk about pressure.  We had agreed on a boy's name (Hayden, a family name) fairly early in my pregnancy but had argued for months about a girl's name.  We finally agreed on Emily about two weeks before I was due because it was the only name we could agree on. 

When our baby entered the world and the doctor announced that she had lost the bet, I remember feeling deflated and oddly disappointed that there would be no little girl to dress in cute little dresses with bows in her hair. And then I looked at the baby that the doctor had laid on my stomach and thought what the h***, as I felt a moment of panic. "He" was missing something pretty important. As my exhausted mind realized that we were the parents of a beautiful, perfect little girl, the doctor said, "oh, wait, I said you were having a girl so I won the bet."

Our little angel wore green, yellow, and white for the first whole month of her life. The only person who had been convinced we were having a girl was my mother-in-law. She came to the hospital while I was in labor with little cowgirl boots. At the baby shower, when people were told to take either blue or pink plates based on what they thought we were going to have, she was one of the few to choose a pink plate on which to sit her cake. These boots were the cutest things I had ever seen and I think it was those boots that started me yearning for a little girl in those last few hours before our baby made an appearance.

The boots were a size 5 which is usually the size a 6-9 month old wears. My two-year old is now wearing them on her tiny feet. They are sitting by the back door. Brown with pink stitching, they sit next to our winter boots and sneakers and her mary janes. They are our daughter's favorite shoes and we love to tell her the story of how she got them. She wears them with everything: jeans, her snow white costume, and even tutus.  There are days where she will be running around the kitchen in only her cowgirl boots and her diaper laughing hysterically at something she has done.  I don't think I will ever have the heart to throw those boots away, no matter how worn and ragged they get.

Kids Today Have It Lucky

Remember saying "I'm bored" to your mom and having her say "go play outside".  Growing up, we had a traditional metal swingset in our backyard to play on and that was it.  After a few years it developed rust spots and started to show its age but it was still sturdy. I have lots of fond memories of sitting on the swings with a book or hanging upside down on the trapeze bar envisioning myself as one of the acrobats from the circus.  Now I have kids of my own.  I had a hard time trying to think of gifts for Christmas for a 2 year old and a 5 month old.  They have lots of toys and books.  Many toys do the same thing.  How many toys that teach the alphabet do you really need? I came across some really cool toys online.  Here are some toys to turn your backyard into a miniature playland.  If you haven't seen these, you need to check them out. What will they think of next?

Par 3 Miniature Golf Course by Step 2

Aviva 10-foot Kiddie Ice Rink

Extreme Roller Coaster (also by Step 2)

Pirates Bay Inflatable

As cool as these toys are, I think we'll be sticking with the public pool, local amusement parks, and the public ice rink for our little munchkins when they are a little older.

A Note to Self : No More Late Night Runs

I am a post-it junkie.  I often joke with my husband about how I should write a note to myself every time I do something silly and post it somewhere so I don't do it again. The Urban Dictionary defines note to self as "an exclamation used when you want to punctuate/emphasize an obvious or insulting quip or action" and "a personal reminder".  There are moments in our lives where we experience something that leaves us with a lesson learned.  Sometimes its just silly lessons that we know we will repeat. 

In the quiet of the morning (it's 12:32 AM Eastern Time on Tuesday morning), I ran out to the local convenience store. I felt like I was being sneaky as I left the house.  My husband and my daughters were sound asleep and the houses on our street were all dark.  As a car drove by with their lights shining brightly, I felt as though I was doing something forbidden and I was in danger of getting caught.  I wondered briefly what the passerby thought as he saw my car backing out of the driveway.  Did they wonder where I was going at this time of morning?  Maybe this was my guilt fueling my overactive imagination since I was supposed to have gone grocery shopping last night.  If I had, I wouldn't have needed to run out this morning.  Do you ever feel guilty for not doing something that you should have done, especially if you don't have a very good reason for not doing it?  Even if it is over something as mundane as not going grocery shopping.  My husband had even offered to run earlier to the mini market but I told him that I would do it.

Why was I headed out this early in the morning? I was going to pick up a carton of yogurt and some milk so my daughter could have her morning smoothie.  Our fridge is pretty much empty at the moment. Our fridge is usually in this state after January 1st, before garbage day, or before I do my semi-monthly bulk grocery shopping. I just didn't have the energy to go to the grocery store across town last night.  I even ate dinner before I was to go so I would restrain myself in the bakery department.  Unfortunately, I never quite made it.  I got sidetracked doing other things after dinner. As time passed, I finally told myself that it was to late to go.

I don't normally go into convenience stores and I learned why I shouldn't frequent them tonight: 1)smart alec clerks 2)odd people who stare and 3)the prices.  I'm not sure which one bothered me more.  The clerk commented that I could fit a body in "there".  He was referring to my purse, my treasured Butler Bag.  Not that he appreciated one of my favorite accessories.  There was an odd man dressed in camouflage who stood at the front of the store staring at me as I got my purchases.  I had sneaked a peak at my reflection in the refrigerated case when I was getting the milk to make sure that there was nothing wrong with my appearance.  I looked like a tired mom in a t-shirt, jeans, and a ski jacket.  Yep, things looked normal from where I stood.  I did almost keel over in shock at the prices that stared back at me.  Half a gallon of orange juice was $4.39!  A single carton of yogurt was $1.19. I only ended up buying one carton of yogurt and a quart of milk.

Lesson learned: No more late night jaunts to convenience stores.  In the future, I'll just make my procrastinating, full of excuses self go to the grocery store even if it is just so I can cross it off of my "to-do" list.

Last Chance to Enter Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family Giveway (ends 1/6)

Just a reminder: The Chicken Soup for the Soul: All in the Family Giveaway ends 1/6. Stop by now to enter.  Good luck!

A Fresh Start

As I started writing this first post of the New Year, I wanted to lead off with a quote pertaining to New Year's.  I was looking for something to inspire me as I wrote about all the new possibilities for the New Year.  I ended up laughing to myself as I was inspired by not one but many quotes, many of them humorous and poking fun at our attempts to reform our bad habits. 

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve.  Middle age is when you're forced to.  ~Bill Vaughn

First, Happy New Year, Everyone!  Here is to new friends, endless possibilities, and a fresh start.  How did you spend your New Year's Eve?  Alone in the quiet, with cheerful friends, in a merry crowd of strangers, in the cold winter night watching a ball drop...I did not ring in the New Year, I snored it in.  I was sound asleep by 11:30.  I tried, I really did, to watch the ball drop in NYC on TV, but I just couldn't stay awake.  I was yawning frequently by 10:00 pm and my eyelids were starting to droop.  My husband warned me that I wasn't going to stay awake.  I kept telling him he was mistaken.  He just shook his head and kept his comments to himself after that.  I made the mistake of climbing into my nice warm cozy bed to watch the ball drop.  I dropped off-into sleep that is.

We had made last minute plans to have friends over on New Year's Eve.  Our whole family has been ill over Christmas break with bad colds.  We were all over the worst of it and no longer contagious by New Year's Eve.  My husband made the calls the day before New Year's Eve to see if our friends were up for a "Lame New Years Party" as my husband was describing it (and not quite in those words).  All of our friends have toddlers and infants (all under 6 months of age).  We were a weary ragtag group of parents.  Everyone left by 10 pm to go home to put the kids in bed.  We were all lamenting how things have changed. There were comments on how we were going to have to set our alarm clocks at home to make sure we didn't miss the last minute countdown so that we could join millions of other people in welcoming in the New Year.  

The bottle of Korbel that our friend put in the freezer to chill was forgotten.  It just got taken out of the freezer today along with the bottle of sparkling grape juice.  A perfectly good bottle of champagne down the drain.  It also leaked all over the ice box so we had to dispose of all the ice and clean out the ice box.

 Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.  ~Oprah Winfrey

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.  ~Benjamin Franklin

I thought for weeks about what my New Year's resolution would be this year.  A new year promises a fresh start just as Mondays promise a new week.  All of our transgressions of the previous year are behind us and endless days of possibilities lie before us.  How will we greet the first of these days? 


I have failed for year's to become more punctual and to stop procrastinating.   I have kept my New Year's resolutions of previous years in regards to finances and being more "green".  We are more frugal and not as wasteful with our spending.  We recycle religiously.  Some weeks, we have more recycling than garbage (of course I should mention that our recycling is picked up every other week).  I had also been pretty good about eating healthier and exercising (I just haven't gotten back on track since giving birth six months ago).  It seems resolutions dealing with character traits are the most difficult to keep.  


I think Oprah and Benjamin Franklin got it right.  We should always be striving to improve ourselves.  The fresh start to a new year should be used as a chance to reflect and honestly assess ourselves and who we are.  We should strive to better ourselves so we can be better neighbors, friends, spouses...

New Year's Day:  Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions.  Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.  ~Mark Twain

Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath.  Today, we are a pious and exemplary community.  Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.  ~Mark Twain

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.  ~Oscar Wilde

It's all about good intentions.  An attempt to be successful is still an attempt even if we are not successful.  Tomorrow we can start all over again.




Quotes from Quote Garden.

Congrats to the Winner of the Yoplait Prize Pack

The winner of the Yoplait Prize Pack is hotmama0609.  Congratulations!