Motherly Advice

I was just searching for some advice on diaper rash and ran into a site called MotherNature.com it has this book of home remedies for children with advice for anything you could possible think of. It is excellent information and it also lets you know when you should get your child to the doctor.

One of the hardest things about some two year olds is getting them to eat a nutritious diet. I am no expert on nutrition, but here are a list of things I could get my two year old to eat:

Breakfast
Rice Chex
Blueberry Pancakes
Waffles with jam
Cream of Wheat (add milk, butter, peaches and a little sugar)
Oatmeal (add milk, butter, raisins, and brown sugar)
Side of fruit

Lunch
Meat and cheese sandwich (cut into bite size pieces)
PBJ sandwich (bite size pieces)
Grilled Cheese
Soups (vegetable, chicken noodle, chicken and rice...)
Side of Fruit

Dinner
Homemade Pizza (especially with Italian Sausage)
Grilled Chicken
3 Cheese Tortellini w/red sauce
Chicken Croissants
Fettuccini Alfredo
Barbeque Beef
Spaghetti (finely cut up)
Side of Vegetables

Veggies
Broccoli (steamed w/butter and salt)
Corn on the cob (a favorite)
Steamed Zucchini
Steamed Yellow Squash
Boiled Carrots
Green Beans (will only eat 3 or 4)

Fruit
Mandarin Oranges
Sliced Oranges
Sliced Strawberries
Kiwi
Peeled Apples
Canned Peaches
Canned Pears
Applesauce

This list is not all inclusive, but it does the job for some great ideas that your kid will most likely eat. At dinner, I don't give my kids a choice, they eat what the family eats, or they don't eat. This may sound harsh, but they know I mean business, and it works. Well, when in doubt, microwave some chicken nuggets and pour on the ketchup (you know you've done it!).

I love to read to my kids. They LOVE to be read to.

Some of the first books that I read to them were:

Good Night Gorilla
Good Night Moon
The Hungry Caterpillar
10 Little Lady Bugs
Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (Favorite of a 1 year old)

These are just a few, but they are a great start to any new kids home library. I would suggest starting to read to them as early as possible. My 2 year old already knows all his letters, shapes, numbers, colors and so much more. I know this is because he is read to often. The time and effort you put into reading to your kids will benefit them in ways that cannot be measured. It is worth every minute.

I like to read. I like to learn about my kids. I like my kids to sleep through the night. There are two books I have found instrumental in helping my kids sleep great.

The first is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. This book helps you feel empowered instead of guilty about putting your child to bed early. He helps you understand and conquer sleep problems. And he helps you understand why it is so important that your child gets enough sleep. A must read for any parent!

The second book I'd recommend is On Becoming Baby Wise. It is an easy read, and it gives you a very rigid schedule to follow. This is good and bad. Good for a new mom that has no idea how to get her child to sleep through the night, and bad because not every baby is the same. This book WILL help you get your child to sleep through the night if you follow its method. I did not follow it to the letter; I adapted it to my child. It did educate me, and I recommend it to every new mom I know.

My kids sleep 11+ hours a night. And I'm a better mom for it.