Archive for the 'Parenting & Discipline' Category

Newborn Euphoria

Published on March 21, 2012 in Learning & Development and Parenting & Discipline. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

I love newborns. When they sleep, their sweet faces scrunch up, their lips pucker, they whimper, smile, and make some of the cutest involuntary facial expressions and noises. I could seriously stare at my six-week old’s precious little face all night long. Especially when she’s in a really deep, serene sleep and her face bears a look of utter peacefulness.

And they smell really, really, REAlly divine. Like a bed of flowers. Even their little bums smell good. I don’t know what gives them their fragrance (hormones maybe?), but I do know that it’s one of the most precious, fantastic-ly delicious and enjoyable scents that I’ve ever experienced in life.

As much as I’m yearning for a night full of slumber myself, like longer than say 3 or 4 hours, I know that I will miss not having a newborn in our house.

What makes me the saddest is knowing that if we decide that 3 kids completes our family, then the next newborn in our house will probably be when my kids have babies. And of course as much as I love newborns, I don’t want that to happen for a long, long, LONG time.

I can’t wait to watch my baby girl grow. What color will her hair be? Will her eyes stay blue? Will she love books as much as her sisters? What will her sweet voice sound like?

So much to look forward to.

Ultimately, I guess this is why photo albums were invented – so that we can relive a time in life that can’t be returned to. To savor the moments that have passed.

And to dream about the future.

-What did you like/dislike about the newborn phase?

Kids Can Pay it Forward Too

Published on February 17, 2012 in Activity and Parenting & Discipline. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
–Leo F. Buscaglia

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day and a great opportunity to teach our children how to pay it forward.  Here are some excellent ideas of acts you can do with small children:

  • Hand out treats to children at your local playground – ask parents’ permission first.
  • Pick up trash at your local park.
  • Write thank you notes and/or deliver treats to a service provider or public servant: fireman/woman, teacher, police officer, postal worker, or military serviceman/woman.
  • Choose some toys or books to donate to a local charity, shelter, or hospital.
  • Leave paper hearts or kind notes on the windshields of parked cars somewhere.
  • Buy some balloons or fun stickers at the grocery store, and hand them out to children as they leave.
  • Read a children’s story to children at your local library or bookstore.
  • Look around wherever you are to see if someone needs help (i.e. just a helping hand, a smile, etc). Teach your children to recognize someone in need.
  • Wipe rainwater off of shopping carts (My kids love to play with rags, so this would be right up their alley).
  • Give a hug or say something nice to a friend.
  • Walk a friend or neighbor’s dog.
  • Put loose change in a row of vending machines.
  • Be a little more patient with them today.
  • Call a family member to say you love them.
  • Smile.

Happy RAK Day!

What random act of kindness have you done today?

Will the New Princess ‘Couture’ Help or Hinder Our Daughters’ Sense of Self-Esteem?

Published on January 19, 2012 in Learning & Development and Parenting & Discipline. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

By hudsonthego, Flickr

About a year ago, I took my 3 year old daughter to Target to buy a new blanket for naptime at school. I told my daughter, whose favorite color at the time was blue, that she could pick out any soft blanket that she liked. As we strolled down the aisle, we passed Rapunzel, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Dora the Explorer, and several other “girl” blankets. But when we saw the blue blanket, Spiderman, she got excited and told me she wanted that one. Despite the giggles coming from the observer lady in our aisle, I put Spiderman in our basket and headed to the register.

Now four years old, my daughter has expressed little interest in “princess culture.” And to be honest, we do have quite a bit of princess merchandise in our house. From dress-up clothes to princess learning laptops, to princess pull-ups to princess coloring books, you can’t escape the princess culture these days. In fact, you can hardly buy little girls’ panties these days without having a smiling princess across your child’s bottom.

I would be lying if I said that her non-interest in the princess culture wasn’t a huge relief to me. Just like the Barbie culture that I grew up in, I began to think about the type of impact princess culture would have on my daughter’s sense of self esteem.

How would she learn to define beauty? Would she begin comparing her looks to the princesses?

My husband and I have been making a conscious effort to compliment and highlight her inner strengths – how smart, capable, independent, loving, caring and generous she is. But would any of our efforts be over-shadowed by a culture obsessed with princesses, toddlers in tiaras and the Kardashians?

For some reason I just don’t remember growing up being surrounded by all of the princess ‘couture.’ I went to Disney World as a child, and loved the princess stories. But I didn’t wear princess underwear, and I didn’t own any princess dresses or tiaras.

So how did we get to where we are today – a culture that’s been engulfed by princesses?

When I saw a video of Peggy Orenstein on Anderson Cooper, everything started to become crystal clear. As it turns out, mass-marketed princess merchandise hit our stores around the year 2000. And as Peggy says in the video below, from 2000 to 2009, the princess merchandise industry went from a $300MM to a $4B industry. By 2009, there were 26,000 Disney Princess products in stores!

At the end of the day, the real question is how do we raise self-confident, independent, loving, caring, accepting children, in a culture that is obsessed with external beauty?

I can’t say I have the answers (but if you do, please share!).

As a parent, I think it’s important to remember as the kids get older that they are extremely vulnerable to external influences, and should be reminded that beauty comes from within rather than what they look like on the outside. That being said, it’s also important to compliment them and nurture their attributes that matter the most – how helpful, smart, loving and caring that they are.

The Best of Purebebe 2011

Published on December 30, 2011 in Letter from the Editors, LOL Moments, Organic, Parenting & Discipline and Recipes. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

As the year winds down, Jasmine and I decided to put together a “Best of Purebebe” list for 2011. This list was generated based on the number of times readers viewed these articles during 2011.

Although we had planned to have a resolutions post done for 2011, we have simply run out of time with the holidays. So we’ll take a minute to share our Purebebe resolutions with you. ;)

First, the really fun news…
This year we have seen a drastic increase in search engine traffic, mainly because we weren’t getting any love from search engines for the first year and a half that we were blogging (long story, but many thanks to Jasmine for figuring everything out and fixing the issue).

Next, the “what we’re working on” stuff…
One of our objectives for 2012 is to work on generating more comments from you – our readers. By the end of 2011, traffic to our site has more than quadrupled from what it was at the beginning of this year. And we are VERY happy about that! As you may or may not know, Jasmine and I currently don’t make any money from this site. We do a ton of research (research that we’d probably be doing anyways as parents) and publish that research and knowledge so that others can benefit from it. That being said, we’d like to hear from you more often (your thoughts, your ideas, your suggestions)! Please leave comments at the end of the posts, and if you try one of our recipes and like/don’t like it, please come back and let us know.

You can search for anything on our site in the search window, located in the right navigation panel on your screen, directly above “Recent Posts.” We also have a “Blog Archives” link at the top of this page, which allows you to search for articles based on topics.

If you are a new reader to Purebebe, welcome! And if you are one of our faithful readers who’s been with us for a while, well, we wouldn’t still be here doing what we’re doing without you.

-What were your favorite articles from 2011?

-What would you like us to focus on in 2012?

So without further ado, we’d like to present our 2011 Best-of-Purebebe articles:

Health/Safety

Walmart Issues Recall of Powdered Enfamil Formula After Infant Dies

6 Steps to Loving Your Post-Baby Body

PureBebe’s 2011 Sunscreen Picks

What’s the Beef With Meat Glue?

Think Organic Groceries Are Too Expensive? Our Comparison Shopping Results…

Entertainment/Leisure

Eric Carle is a Genius

“Toddler Tax” in Restaurants – Justified or Ridiculous?

Funny

Fantastically Funny Friday (9/16/2011) – Mommy Mayhem

Fantastically Funny Friday (6/10/2011) – Julia Sweeney “Sex Ed” Monologue

10 Things I Never Thought I’d Say (Until I Became a Parent)
(Not written in 2011, but still generated a lot of traffic this year)

Recipes

Crisp, Crunchy, Homemade Dill Pickles

Hearty Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Simple and Savory 3 Cheese Quiche

Mongolian Beef Crockpot Recipe

Many wishes for a happy, healthy, and safe New Year!
-Heather & Jasmine

Halloween Candy Overload? How You Can Help By Donating Your Child’s Candy

Published on November 1, 2011 in Educational, Health & Safety, Holidays, Organic and Parenting & Discipline. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Are you tired of looking at all that Halloween candy?  Or have you been ‘helping’ the kids eat the candy yourself?  Looking for ways to avoid sugar-high kids and future cavities?

With Halloween over, we have two kids’ worth of candy that we normally wouldn’t allow our kids to eat, as well as leftover candy that we handed out to kids, all of which is sitting in our kitchen cabinet collecting dust.  It doesn’t help that I’m nearly 6 months pregnant and craving chocolate, and am constantly tempted to dive into the kids’ candy.

As of today, both of my kids have forgotten about their stash of candy.  I plan to keep a few pieces in case they ask, and donate the rest to one of the following outstanding organizations.

Below are a few suggestions for how you can do something good, too, by donating your children’s Halloween candy:

Operation Gratitude

Sends care packages to our troops oversees.  They are accepting Halloween candy to include in care packages, and if you scroll down to the bottom of the Operation Gratitude page, they have detailed shipping information.  If you include a check for $15, you can cover the cost for Operation Gratitude to ship the candy to the troops overseas, too.  They are also in need of letters of support for our troops, so now is the time to get out the construction paper and let the kids go to town!  Your family really can make a difference.

Operation Shoe Box

Sends care packages to our troops overseas.  If you are interested in donating your candy through Operation Shoe Box, you can mail it to:

Operation Shoebox
8360 E Highway 25
Belleview, FL 34420

Food Pantries

Local food pantries typically accept candy donations.  You can look for one in your area here.

Local Dentist Halloween Candy Buy Back Program

According to their website, this is how it works:

  • Participating dentists “buy” back kids’ Halloween candy at a scheduled event
  • “Buy” with cash, coupons, toothbrushes, creative exchanges – They can partner with local businesses to give away coupons for food, services, goods, etc.  They can give away the Hygiene Kits, they can set up an Opportunity Prize–each kid gets a ticket per pound of candy for an opportunity drawing to win special prizes, etc.
  • Dentists send the candy to Operation Gratitude or other Military support groups
  • Operation Gratitude sends the candy  to U.S. Military deployed in harm’s way

When I did a quick search for participating dentists in my area, I was able to find 13 dentists within a 15 mile radius of my house.

Lastly, nursing homes, churches, synagogues and other places of worship generally have candy drop-offs.

One tip that I had heard was to offer your kids your own exchange.  You can offer them a choice – keep the candy and eat a small amount at a time, or keep a few pieces and donate the rest to charity.  If they donate the candy to charity, they can have a ‘prize,’ like a new toy to pick out at the store, or you can always do something special with them like make some homemade goodies together (or take them somewhere memorable).

-Do you plan to donate your children’s candy?

-If so, which organization do you plan to donate your candy to?

 

20 Weeks Down and 20 to Go…

Published on October 12, 2011 in Breastfeeding, Family Time, Letter from the Editors and Parenting & Discipline. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

My husband, daughters and I are expecting! We are looking forward to welcoming a baby into our family this February.

There have been many feelings and thoughts going through my head since we found out in June. First, elation. The pregnancy came as a big surprise to us. We had planned on having a third child, but weren’t going to begin trying until this Fall. So, you can imagine our surprise and excitement when we found out that we had a little bun in the oven.

When reality set in a few weeks later, we began to panic. Our other kids are ages 3 and 2, so having three little ones ages 4 and under sent both of us into periodic moments of anxiety. Three kids sound great in theory, but when one or both of your kids are having meltdowns, it’s hard to imagine inserting an infant into that picture.

How will I handle a meltdown, or two meltdowns, while holding an infant? How will I nurse a baby and entertain two toddlers at the same time?

And then there are other details, like needing to buy a bigger car that can fit 3 mega carseats, taking time off of work without pay, moving my youngest daughter out of the nursery and into her “big girl room.”

When I started to think about it, I remembered that I had the same feelings, and many of the same questions, when I was pregnant with my other two kids. How will we adjust to having a new baby in the house? What if my baby doesn’t latch on right away? How will we still have time for date nights?

So many questions, feelings and raging hormones. Not to mention really weird dreams, and breasts the size of grapefruit. But I digress. Speaking of breasts, it’s amazing how quickly you forget how ugly and utilitarian maternity bras are!

And then there’s the safety aspect of being pregnant and re-evaluating day-to-day life with a child growing inside of you. Am I eating as healthy as possible and limiting my exposure to BPA, and other chemicals? Is my makeup safe? Where is my seafood coming from and does it contain mercury? Should I get a flu shot?

One thing is for sure, whether it’s your first child, your third, or your fifth, having a baby can be stressful, but it is also one of the greatest joys in life. In fact, being pregnant has given me a renewed focus and determination to make this website as useful and helpful to other parents as possible. It’s what we’re all about here at PureBebe – examining our body, mind, and home to make sure that our children are getting the healthiest start in life. And, making sure that we’re keeping ourselves healthy too. Because as we all know, good health starts first with us parents, since we serve as role models to our growing children, and we have a lot of control over what our kids eat and get exposed to.

I can’t remember what life was like before we had our two little girls. Pretty soon, I won’t be able to remember what life was like before our newest addition joins our family.

And all those worries? They’ll be long forgotten. :)

-Heather

Mom Punishes Child with Hot Sauce and Cold Shower?

Published on August 23, 2011 in Educational, Health & Safety, Learning & Development and Parenting & Discipline. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

To say that I was shocked by this video is an understatement.

Growing up, I remember a few friends’ stories about getting a bar of soap shoved into their mouth for cursing or lying, but that was the exception, rather than the rule.

Warning, this video brought on the waterworks, and is not appropriate for little eyes.

After the video aired on Dr. Phil, this mom was charged for child abuse, and is currently going to court to face her charges.

We will be focusing a few upcoming posts on healthy and effective ways to discipline children. As parents, the way we discipline our children can have a profound effect on our children for the rest of their lives, especially when it comes to our children’s sense of self, confidence, and self-esteem.

-What are your thoughts after watching the video?
-What methods of discipline do you use in your house?
-How were you disciplined as a child?

-Heather

10 Signs That You’re Married With Children (Part II)

Published on July 18, 2011 in Diapering & Potty Training, Family Time, LOL Moments and Parenting & Discipline. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

1. You haven’t eaten an inside piece of bread from your 100% Whole Grain loaf since 2005.

2. You have more pairs of comfortable slippers around the house than Monolo Blahniks.

3. You can’t remember the last time you slipped on that ‘little black dress’ in your closet, the one that all the fashion magazines insist that ‘every girl just has to have’.

4. You get as excited to throw a new coat of color on your bedroom wall as you did when you boarded the plane for your honeymoon to Hawaii.

5. Your dog, who used to be the center of attention on weekends, is no longer first string (pre-child #1), second string (child #2), or third string (pretty much everything else that comes along with managing multiple kids, jobs and social calendars, including washing the car).

6. Discussions during “Girl’s Night Out” with your friends no longer revolve around great shopping finds at etsy or LivingSocial, but are focused on stories about potties, sleeping through the night, and bowel movements.

7. You spend more time re-caulking bathrooms and cleaning up urine around the base of the toilet than you used to spend primping in front of the mirror before a hot date.

8. Your gym membership hasn’t seen regular action since the Bush administration was in office.

9. The last time you looked down and saw perky, beautiful, un-lopsided breasts was around the turn of the century.

10. You can’t think of anyplace you’d rather be, or anything you’d rather be doing, than having a lazy morning with your energetic kids, hair disheveled husband and fourth-string dog. :)

-What signs have you come across? Leave us a comment below, we want to hear yours too!

Happy Monday!

Ever Feel Like it’s Groundhog Day Every Day?

Published on June 6, 2011 in Learning & Development and Parenting & Discipline. 13 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I miss being spontaneous.

When I was 24, one of my best friends called and asked me if I wanted to go to Australia and New Zealand with her. She had some friends that we would stay with in Sydney and Melbourne, and the rest of the time we would stay in youth hostels. So, just like that, I booked a ticket, two weeks before we left, and took a month off of work. Other than a friend’s place to stay in Sydney, we had absolutely no idea where we were going or what we’d be doing.

In fact, I hadn’t even picked up my Lonely Planet guide until we boarded the 22+ hour flight to Sydney. Once we were there, we booked plane tickets to Melbourne, Cairns, and to Christ Church, New Zealand. Oh, and we decided to stop in Fiji on the way there. We had a glorious time exploring the island of Viti Levu, even traveling to a Fijian village deep within the interior mountains and sharing a traditional kava tea ceremony with the villagers (scroll down for photos). We also rented a sail boat and sailed around the other smaller Fijian Islands. The captain of the ship grilled fish for lunch that he caught while we snorkeled in the clearest, crystal blue waters below.

In Australia, we snorkled the Great Barrier Reef, and hiked through the rainforest with two nice women we met from Canada. At one point, we took a dip in a rainforest watering hole and found out later that that watering hole was a favorite spot for local crocodiles. And in New Zealand we rode a helicopter to the top of Fox glacier and went hiking – on top of the glacier.

These days, the most spontaneous decisions I face are what to make for dinner.

Sometimes I feel a little, well, blue. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love my children, my husband, my life. I am extremely thankful for my family. Sometimes I just miss having the ability to explore new places, meet new people, and all of the other exciting-ness that comes with travel. And let’s face it, I do miss walking out the door without taking an hour just to pack a bag with enough snacks and juice boxes for an afternoon at the swimming pool.

After I watched this video last week, I spent an entire afternoon researching flights to Australia and New Zealand. My hat goes off to these two families. Although I envy the path they’ve chosen with their little ones, I also have to wonder, where do the older children go to school? How does the constant travel affect them over time? Do their children ever crave the stability that comes along with sleeping in their own bed at night?

What about you, do you ever miss or feel the need to be spontaneous (or am I all alone here?)

Photos From Travels to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand:

My friend Liz and me on Bondi Beach, Australia

On a dive boat, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Getting ready to bungee jump off the Kawarau Bridge, New Zealand (Site of the first recorded bungee jump)

Boarding Helicopter for Fox Glacier Heli-hike

Hiking on top of Fox Glacier, New Zealand (South Island)

Meeting with a village in the mountains in Viti Levu, Fiji

Traditional Kava Tea Ceremony, Fiji

Drinking Kava Tea for the first time. Let's just say it was an "interesting" experience; Viti Levu, Fiji

Related Articles:
Thoughtful Gifts for Dad on Father’s Day

Life From The Eyes Of A Three Year Old

Keeping the Peace a Mile High – 6 Tips for Traveling with Baby

Mom Injecting 8 Year Old with Botox a Hoax?

Published on May 23, 2011 in Family Time and Parenting & Discipline. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Last Monday, we wrote about the San Francisco mom, Sheena Upton, who allegedly was injecting her daughter with botox. Well, apparently Sheena is now saying the entire story was a hoax. She has reportedly confessed that she had been given money ($200) by a U.K. news source to say that she was injecting her daughter.

I can’t decide what’s more damaging to her daughter. To physically inject her with botulism, or to involve her in an act of public deception – for financial gain.

This San Francisco mother’s behavior brought back memories of the six year old balloon boy from two years ago. Remember him? His dad told the world that he was in a balloon 7,000 feet in the air while he was hiding out in his parent’s attic. Later, it was reported that his parents made the entire story up for the purpose of fame and fortune.

Admittedly, both of these stories are rare. But are these stories symptomatic of a much larger issue in the U.S.? Have we, as a society, become more tolerant of a lack of honesty and integrity? Several recent acts of infidelity by public figures come to mind, not to mention the never-ending stories of corporate leaders who have crossed the ethics line.

Since the botox story aired on Good Morning America, the San Francisco woman’s daughter has been removed from her home and placed in foster care. It’s going to take much more than the $200 she profited from the news source in order to pay for her legal bills.

Ultimately, though, I can’t decide what the “right” outcome is for this case. Is her mother “fit” enough to continue raising her daughter? Or should she remain in foster car and eventually be placed for adoption?

What are your thoughts?

Related Articles:
Mom Injecting 8 Year Old With Botox?
Pediatricians Call for Change: Protect Children from Toxic Chemicals

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