It's Hip Hop, Baby!

I'm so excited! I was selected to review the DVD "It's Hip Hop, Baby" that went on sale on amazon.com yesterday (3/17).

It looks like a really fun DVD that gets toddlers and preschoolers up and moving, all while teaching them their ABC's and numbers, among other things. On top of it, there are hip hop dance steps that kids can learn, which is great to get them up and moving. Plus, it is something I could do with Hannah to help her get interested. Basically, the creator took all kinds of kids songs, and made them a little more contemporary.

For more information, check out www.itshiphopbaby.com or visit their blog at itshiphopbaby.blogspot.com

I'll let you know more once I check out the DVD!

Grandma Says I Can - Part II

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Okay, so part two of "Grandma Says I Can" got me thinking a little bit. As I watched what the parents in the video were saying, I realized that Hannah's grandparents are very different from each other. One set of grandparents, I have to explain everything to in detail, just to make sure they don't wreck her daily schedule. The other set, I just say, "This is how it is," and they take it from there. But, both sets of grandparents want to help her grow up to be the best little person she can be, which is very obvious from the time they spend with her.

One grandparent lets her watch TV all day. The other won't turn the TV on if she's in the house. One would rather sing songs and play blocks. The other likes to look at books and play with dolls. Is one grandparent right? Not in my book.

I typically let either set of grandparents get away with just about anything, unless, like I said in the part one post about picking my battles, it's a dietary or safety issue.

I don't know... I guess I don't have much to say for this post that I haven't said before.

Bento anyone?

Okay, I just recently started learning about bento lunches, and finding photos of them EVERYWHERE. Now, can someone PLEASE explain to me what a bento is, and why people take pictures of them? I feel like I'm out of some really cool looking loop somewhere, and I want to know what I'm missing!

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, this:
and this:


and this:
are all examples of bento lunches. Don't they look fun? Don't they look like something every mom should know how to make because they're healthy and they're cool looking?

Someone please tell me what I'm missing out on!

Lots o' pictures!

Photos haven't been scarce in our household, but my time spent uploading them has been! Things have been going well, though busy in our household! Today, though, Hannah and I took some time out to visit Curious George at the Children's Museum of NH. We had a great time, and even got to hang out with Hannah's friend Spencer and his mom and dad, Anne Marie and Ed. It was great to see them, since it had been a while since I got to visit with them.



We've been having fun just getting outside when the weather is nice, and various other things like that. We scoped out a new playgroup, but I'm still not sure if we'll stick with it or not. They are a group that is always on the move, and they have things scheduled a lot of days during the week. The problem is that a lot of things are scheduled for the days I work, so I'm not sure it will be practical for us. Normally, this would be okay, but I would have to pay dues to join, so I don't know if it's worth it. Sometimes, I just think it's easier to go to the children's museum on my schedule.

John has been busy lately with school and concert stuff. He has a concert with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra tomorrow. He thinks it should be a good show, and with the weather, I would think there would be a good turn out. I debated going, but ultimately decided against it. I thought it would be nicer to let Hannah nap at home and then I can take her outside since the weather is slated to be warmer than today. It's been getting up into the 50's on a really nice day, so we've been taking advantage.

I've been working on another freelance writing assignment that will hopefully be published in Parenting NH this May. Of course, I'm not holding out too much hope, because they accepted another story for publication, and it hasn't been run yet. They accepted it in November, but keep having space issues. I understand, but it's frustrating. I've also taken on a great work at home job that I am enjoying. I basically set up customer accounts for Melaleuca, which is great. The products I really like, and so it's easy to tell people about how great they are, because I use them too! I've been in the process of switching our house over to all of their products. When the story just came out about the toxins in childrens bath products, it was something I was already aware of and had switched Hannah off of, because the Melaleuca products are amazingly better. Ask me if you're interested for more info.

Anyway, I'll leave you with more photos of Hannah!

Grandma Says I Can Pick My Battles

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I work outside the home two days a week. I'm lucky enough that Hannah gets to come with me one day, and that my in-laws, who live just off the highway directly on my way to work, happily baby sit Hannah the other day. They'd take her both days, if I needed them too. The convenience is great, and their flexibility is a god-send for us.

Hannah typically has a good day there. She eats, she takes her nap, she plays more than I am sure I am aware of. But, part of that is because I've learned to pick my battles with my mother in law. I don't approve of leaving the TV on all day, even if it is on PBS. I think some down time from the TV (and other screens) is nice. It gives us all the chance to recharge on our own terms, Hannah included. My mother in law, from what I can tell, has the TV on all day when Hannah is over (probably except when she's napping). As much as it bugs me, it's not really a safety issue for a 13 1/2 month old.

If Hannah's had nothing but applesauce for lunch for the last 4 days, and I tell my mother in law that, but she still feeds her applesauce for lunch, I am not going to say anything, because she's doing me a favor by 1) watching Hannah and 2) making sure she's getting a healthy lunch.

So when will I pipe up and say something? First and foremost, I will say something if it's a safety or dietary issue. My mother in law suggested giving Hannah some molasses mixed with milk when she was younger to help with her spit up. Though she was well-intentioned, I am sure, I did make sure to clarify that I did not think that was okay for my daughter, and that her pediatrician did not approve of that measure either. (If worse comes to worse, you can always pin it back on the pedi!)

Second, I will say something if what she is doing affects Hannah's day to day life. She used to give Hannah her pacifier at times that she really didn't need it, such as when she was just playing, content, and not in need of it. Since John and I never really wanted to worry about Hannah having her pacifier be a crutch for her, we addressed that with his mother right away. From what we can tell, she is very good about it now.

Picking battles with Grandma only helps maintain sanity. If I started nit-picking everything both of Hannah's grandmothers did that I didn't want them too, it would be a full time job trying to keep them in line! But instead, I savor the time I have with Hannah, rather than worrying about what she's going to have for lunch at her grandmothers house tomorrow when I go to work.

What does Daddy do?

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The latest episode of Juicebox Jungle (above) about dads helping out with the kids got me thinking about how our family works.

Hannah (now 13 1/2 months) LOVES to help unload the dishwasher. So much so, she tries to unload the dishwasher when we're in the process of loading it. I'm pretty sure she'd try to unload it if it was running!

I had nothing to do with teaching her that. I dislike hate unloading the dishwasher. I will load it, because I like knowing that the dishes are going to get clean, but I really could deal with not having to unload it. I'd probably just keep taking clean dishes out of the dishwasher if I could.

Kidding aside, my husband is probably stricter than I am. I am more likely to bend when I think I should buy something for my daughter, or give her a little taste of ice cream after dinner. I figure, as long as she's getting her healthy food, a small taste won't kill her. Not that John won't do anything like that. I'm just more lenient. Even when it comes to discipline. I don't like to make Hannah cry. I don't like to do anything that is going to upset her. By the same token, I am also not going to tolorate her hitting me in the face (...still workin' on that one) whenever she feels like it, but John is much more likely to react than I am.

That said, I don't think all dads are like that. I don't think all dads are as lenient as the video makes them out to be either. I like to think there is more of a middle ground than the video lets on, and that is where most dads will fall. But, (and facts will back me up) there are more stay-at-home-moms than there are SAHD's, so the dads just want their kids to think they're the coolest guy ever on the planet when they are home from work. That's all it is. Nothing more, nothing less.

So check out the video. What do you think?

Freelance Writing

So, I recently picked up some freelance writing jobs to help supplement my income. I LOVE it! I love writing my stories, and knowing that they might make a difference to someone. Even though it's a relatively local publication, the pay is decent, considering that I love doing it, and I get to write about stuff I enjoy learning more about.

The downside? None of them have been published yet. I submitted a story to the magazine I write for in November, being told it would be published in the January or February Issue. Then I was told the March issue. It's been bumped from all three due to "space issues." Now it's going to run another time, but they're not even giving me an issue.

The upside? I actually have an assignment. I'm currently working on a story about resources in the current economy for families. It's an interesting topic, really. Even though I work two days a week in a homeless shelter, I've learned a lot more about resources for families that I was only vaguely familiar with.

So, what do I have to say about freelancing? It's fun. Don't do it if you want steady income. Do it only if you like to write, but can wait to reap the rewards. Not everyone can freelance. I'm not even that good at it yet, but I still enjoy it.