Bedtime Fears: Real or Made Up?

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             Bedtime with kids is always fun, right? (Yes, if you're new here, that is dripping with sarcasm.) Add in some bedtime fears and things become even more interesting, possible unbearable. With some kids, it's easy to tell if they're legitimately afraid of something. Others seem like they're just making things up to stall. Either way, bedtime fears, whether it be of monsters in the closet, the dark itself, or something else entirely, it can be frustrating for both kids and parents.

             Myka seems to be one of those kids that falls into the latter category. One week in the last couple months or so, she started coming into our room in the middle of the night and sleeping at the end of the bed almost every night. She hadn't done this for awhile, so naturally I asked her why she was coming into our room so much. She claimed she was “afraid to be in her room”, but didn't really give a reason why. I know she's not afraid of the dark, plus she has like 500 night lights, it feels like, because grandparents will not stop buying them for some reason even though I tell them she already has some! Ok, ok, I'm getting off topic. That's a story for another time, I suppose.

             A few weeks later, though she stayed in her room half the time and others she came down the hallway and peeked her head around the corner, she started in with “I scared in my room”. The thing is, she didn't act like she was scared. At all. She just stated that calmly and went back in when we put her back to bed. No fits or freaking out like you would expect from a kid who is truly scared, right?

             Then the plot thickened. Myka started occasionally mentioned that she was afraid of spiders when these little episodes would happen and we asked her why she was “scared”. So, we started putting cotton balls with peppermint essential oil on them around her room (This isn't just a made up, placebo thing either like “monster spray”. Spiders really don't like it. I've seen it!) and explained that it would keep spiders away. This seemed to appease her, yet she still brings it up every now at which point we put more cotton balls out.

             So...Does Myka really have a minor case of arachnophobia or is she just making up random stuff as an excuse to get out of bed? I don't know. I really just don't know. As much as I wish this were an informative post, it's more just an anecdote I felt like sharing. Have any of you ever went through this with your kids? Was there anything in particular that seemed to help?

Baby-Led Weaning vs Baby Food

 Can you tell these are two different kids? Neither can my relatives.

             Isn't it funny how everything we think we know and all of our parenting strategies with our firstborn go out the window with a second baby? I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but we have done things WAY differently with Little Bit than we did with Big Sister.

             Myka started sleeping in her own room when she was two months old. (Yes, my kids really are that good of sleepers!) Ripley is 10 months old and still sleeps in our bedroom. (To be fair, that's mostly out of necessity.) Breastfeeding didn't work out for me and Myka. I was lucky to at least get to almost 6 months with Ripley. I'm not as opposed to formula and disposable diapers as I was. (I've accepted formula as a necessary evil because my boobs suck and we still use cloth diapers, like, 98% of the time, but just sayin'.) One of the biggest things that sticks out in my mind is how we introduced solid foods.

             With Myka, I was very much on the “make your own baby food” train and made large stashes at a time. It was tedious and usually took up a large portion of the day, but I didn't have to worry about it again for months. I can't remember exactly when she started getting teeth, but it seems like it was later than Ripley, so I don't think she had any real solid food until after she was a year old? Sounds crazy, right?

             I have taken a MUCH more laid back approach with Ripley. I wasn't too concerned about introducing solid foods at all. She'd eat eventually, right? I did make homemade baby food for her at first, but not in huge batches. She's already eating “real people food” and, again, she's not even a year old yet. (She also has 4 teeth, though. ;) )

             I have to admit, I didn't understand what the big hubub was about baby-led weaning, that seemed to be growing more popular amongst crunchy parents, around the time Myka was eating baby food. To me, it didn't sound safe. Wouldn't their kids choke? But again, things change and I decided to give it a try with my new guinea pig. And honestly? It's so much easier! But, I'm not here to sway you your opinion. Let's look at some pros and cons of both. (At least from my perspective, for what it's worth. ;) )

Pros of Baby Food

*Can buy at the store (convenience)

*Can make yourself (cheaper and no weird preservatives)

*Can introduce it sooner

*Don't have to worry about choking as much

Cons of Baby Food

*Some have weird preservatives

*Can be pricey

*More dishes to wash

*Greater need for a high chair

Pros of Baby-Led Weaning

*No need to make or buy special food

*Cheaper (for above reasons)

*More likely to be less picky eaters (speculation on my part, but I think I have read this somewhere too)

*Introduced to a wider variety of foods and flavors

*Not as great a need for a high chair

*Work on fine motor control if/when you let them feed themselves

Cons of Baby-Led Weaning

*Choking hazard is greater

*May have a baby that loves eating anything and everything ;)

            Ok, so I feel like I'm dropping the ball on the cons of baby-led weaning, but that's really, honestly all I can think of right now. What about you? Did you feed your kids differently as babies? Have you noticed any difference in their food preferences as they've gotten older? Is one a pickier eater than the other? Let me know in the comments below!

Mom Faves Holiday Giveaway

 

We know moms work hard to make Christmas special for their families. This Mom Faves Holiday Giveaway coordinated by Mommy Scene features great gift ideas to keep moms healthy, happy, pampered, and moisturized! One lucky winner will win them all! Giveaway ends December 18th, 2016.

Mom Faves Prize List

Full Details
Aurorae Printed Yoga Mat
How to Raise Great Kids - 101 Fun & Easy Ideas
Moon Valley Organics Herbal Heal Gift Set: Herbal Heal, Moon Melt Lotion Bar, Herbal Lip Balm
Signs.com Custom Canvas 12" x 12" print
Duo Diary Health Journal
Revelae Kids Yummi Pouch Cloth Snack Bags
CiPU Diaper Bag in Heather Grey
Paperless Post 1,000 coins (Retail Value $90)
The Picket Fence $50 gift certificate

This giveaway is coordinated by Mommy Scene, sponsored by the participating brands, and is open to US entries ages 18 and older. No purchase required to enter. 1 winner will be randomly chosen and contacted through e-mail, and their name displayed on the giveaway page after the giveaway ends on December 18, 2016. Mommy Scene and participating blogs are not responsible for fulfilling brand-sponsored prizes. Prizes will be shipped directly from each brand. Have fun and good luck!

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Get Your Little Nature Lover the Perfect Book This Holiday Season!

             You know where you can pretty much never go wrong as far as presents for kids goes? Books! Better yet, do you know a little nature lover? It's the perfect time of year to snuggle up with a book (or two or three!) and I have the perfect gift ideas from Dawn Publications new fall releases!

Octopus Escapes Again!

Written & Illustrated By Laurie Ellen Angus

As most of Dawn Publications books are, this was educational, but in a fun way. It couldn't have gotten here at a better time either as we have been studying the ocean for school and Myka gets a weird obsession with octopi whenever they happen to come up. (Let's just say the recent viewing of the new Finding Dory movie has reignited that flame some.)

As gross as I personally think they are, even I found Octopus Escapes Again! informative as well as fun to read aloud to my 4 year old. We learned about all of the cool things octopus are capable of as we went along a journey with one little octopus on her quest for a meal. I loved that there wasn't too much text, so my easily distracted kid didn't get bored, but it still covers the “basics” of octopi, like how they squirt ink to get away from predators (as well as use camouflage), can release tentacles if they do get caught (and grow them back!), and fit into really tight spots since they lack bones!

As always, there is further information and activities after the story, including parts of an octopus and more info on the other animals encountered in the story. Octopus Escapes Again! is recommended for ages 4-10.

A Moon of My Own

Written By Jennifer Rustgi

Illustrated By Ashley White

Ok. I have to admit that I didn't care for this title the first time we read it. I really don't know why. I think I was expecting something else...But I don't know what. We reread it again recently and I actually enjoyed it this time. Somehow, my super forgetful child, actually remembered parts of it too from only reading it once before, so I'll take that as a sign she likes it as well. (Plus, what kid isn't fascinated by the moon?)

This is a fun little story that travels through the moon's phases and around the world. Double educational value! It presents the perfect opportunity to talk about moon phases and what really happens when the moon “disappears”. Also, you get to “visit” different landmarks around the world, such as the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Barrier Reef, and more. (More info on each in the back, of course.)

What really struck me about this book was the illustrations. They're beautiful! Yes, it's a lot of shadows and silhouettes, but the sky and moon in each picture are very vivid. You'll just have to see for yourself.

A Moon of My Own is also recommended for ages 4-10. You can learn more about the moon (also includes activities), find where each landmark mentioned in the story is located on a world map, and more in the back.

Over in the Grasslands On an African Savanna

Written By Marianne Berkes

Illustrated By Jill Dubin

I can't say enough good things about the “Over in the” series from Dawn Pub. In fact, I've beat it into the ground in previous reviews, so I won't beat it to death this time. They are always fun read-alouds for little ones with the rhyming and repetition throughout the story. The illustrations are always interesting too. (Again, one of those things you just have to see for yourself.) If I remember right, I believe they pictures are made up of different types of paper. It's a lot fancier and more intricate than it sounds and makes for lovely visuals!

I love this series as well because young children get to learn more about animals they might only know about from the zoo. (Or never heard of at all! I'm not ashamed to admit I have come across a few in other stories that I had never heard of in all my 29 years.) Other than what you would expect in Over in the Grasslands..., such as giraffes and elephants, you also encounter jackals, hornbills, aardvarks, and more.

Over in the Grasslands On an African Savanna is suggested for 3-8 year old children. After the story, you can find more info on the creatures in the story, as well as some others not mentioned, activity suggestions from both the author and illustrator, and more. 
 

ABC Blockology Giveaway

3 Winners! ABC Blockology Customized Wooden Block Set Giveaway! $75 TRV!

Sponsored By: ABC Blockology

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

* 3 Winners Will Receive * 

Their Choice of (up to) 10 Customized Wooden Blocks! 

$75 TRV Giveaway!

ABC Blockology not only makes cute wooden blocks to commemorate your baby’s name, baby shower, christening and birth announcements, but they are also great for other special occasions too! They would be a wonderful way to mark an anniversary, engagement, proposal, make a cute birthday prop, and so much more! If you have a special occasion, ABC Blockology has you covered! Click here to read Love, Mrs. Mommy's full ABC Blockology review! 
 

Open to continental US entries and must be 18+ to enter!

Giveaway Dates ~ 12/6 12:01 AM EST through 12/23 11:59PM EST

Entry-Form

Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. Love, Mrs. Mommy received blocks from ABC Blockology at no cost to facilitate the above-mentioned review. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Fall Homesteading Chores

             Hey folks! I'm sure you've noticed the homesteading updates and posts have been few and far between lately. Things have slowed down a bit in regards to that around here. With the gardens being finished, we have moved on to some “winterizing” projects for the animals (and the house, in a way) and still have tons we need to do!

             Our biggest project (which, admittedly, I didn't really help with besides moving the pig himself) was setting up Mr.Bruce's winter lodgings. He's hanging out in the garden by the house now. It's smaller than his old area, but we this is the first time we've let him run around freely outside of his “baby pen”, so technically he has a lot more room to run around now.

             We're using him to eat our leftover veggies, root up our garden, and get it ready for next year. He's done a surprisingly (scarily) good job of it so far. He's only been there a few weeks and most of it has been rooted up already! 

He's eating cheese I left out on the counter over night. Oops. Fun fact: Guinea Hogs can eat anything but salt and chocolate. Some of them are allergic to chocolate, others are not, but there's no way to know unless they try it! Needless to say, we'll steer clear of the salty stuff and chocolate just to be safe. ;)

             Even though it hasn't even been that cold out so far, I have to admit it's nice having him close to the house too so I don't have to deal with unscrewing the hose when I need to use the shorter end for the chickens, having to walk back there, blah blah blah...Especially if I forget something! He's getting spoiled even more now that it's easier to remember to take scraps to him. ;) No garbage disposal? No problem! Mr.Bruce is happy to eat (most) things you might have for him! (So long as it's not rotten, of course.)

             He seems to be a much happier piggy now, no surprise. More room to run around, nicer house (thanks to my father in-law helping my hubby build it), more treats, more attention. What's not to love, right?

             We're also experimenting with how well a tarp works over the big window in the chicken coop, but I didn't get a picture of that as the weather was nasty the day I wrote this. I don't think it's going to work well, but we'll see. Better than nothing for now, I guess. At least it's less drafty. Worried about it keeping too much moisture in, though.

 The yard is going to look like sh!t, but it's not like we ever get visitors besides our parents, so who cares, right?

             Speaking of moisture, we have some major, MAJOR issues with this in/under/around our house as well. Problem is, there's multiple aspects that need taken care of which equals more money, of course. I won't go into lots of details, but basically we need all new gutters and to regrade (? not sure that's the word I'm looking for) the hill behind our house to take care of the moisture issues around and under the house...So then we can replace the rest of the floors (subfloor and all) that we weren't required to fix before we moved in last year. We are getting a lot of soft spots popping up and it makes me worry. A lot.

             Anywho, as a temporary way to at least help matters, John did clean the gutters out this weekend while I dug a small drainage trench to help with the water running down the slope behind the house. I need to at least make it a little deeper, but I'm glad I actually got it started because it rained practically all day the day after. Oh. And I raked the leaves away from the house. Again. (Always with the Godforsaken leaves!) Luckily, they were pretty close to the compost pile (although it sure didn't feel that close trying to rake wet leaves!), so I was thankful for that.

             What have you been doing around the house or yard to prepare for winter?

Fodeez Frames Giveaway

Sponsored By: Fodeez

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

Winner Will Receive: 

A Multi-Pack & 3-Pack of Colorable 4x6 Frames! A $35 RV

Fodeez Frames are especially awesome if you have a stainless steel or wooden-front refrigerator, as nothing sticks to that except tape, until now! Fodeez Frames brings back the ability to proudly display your children’s artwork, photos, doodles and more, on surfaces where you once couldn’t. Other great uses are; for posting monthly school schedules, grocery lists, and anything else you want to remember or keep track of. Click here to read Love, Mrs. Mommy's full Fodeez review! 
 

Open To US and Canada entries! Must be 18+ to enter

Giveaway Dates ~ 12/4 12:01 AM EST through 12/18 11:59PM EST

Entry-Form

Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. Love, Mrs. Mommy received Fodeez Frames at no cost to facilitate the above-mentioned review. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Baby Memory Book & Sticker Set Giveaway (10 Winners!)

10 WINNERS! Ronica Baby Memory Book & Sticker Set Bundle Giveaway! $595 TRV!!

(this post contains affiliate links)

Sponsored By: Ronica

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

Co-Hosted By:

Amy & Aron's Real Life Reviews & Michigan Saving and More

** 10 WINNERS Will Receive: ** 

A Baby Memory Book & Set of 32 Baby Monthly Stickers!

First 5 winners drawn will receive the brand new book & sticker design set (items on the left). 

Second set of 5 winners will receive the original book & sticker design set (items on the right).

Totaling $595 in prizes!!

Ronica’s mission is to make recording baby memories simple for busy parents. We all know that as soon as that new, sweet baby is put in your arms, your life gets a whole lot busier! Free time? What’s that?! But, thanks to Ronica, you won’t spend a lot of time documenting all your precious moments… you can spend more time making them! Click here to read Love, Mrs. Mommy's full Ronica review! 
 

Open To US and must be 18+ to enter

Giveaway Dates ~ 12/1 9:00 AM EST through 12/15 11:59PM EST

Entry-Form

Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. Love, Mrs. Mommy received a Ronica Baby Memory Book & Sticker Set at no cost to facilitate the above-mentioned review. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Family Volunteer Day

             Hey folks! I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook, like I'm sure many of you do as well, but you know what one thing I do like about it is? The events! It seems a bit “stalker-y” on Facebook's part to me, but I like when I get notifications that “So and so is interested in such and such event” or when I happen to get suggestions for local events pop up on the right hand side. Why? Because I wouldn't have known about them otherwise! Plus, it's handy for people like me who still aren't very familiar with an area, but want to get out and do things. Anyways...

             I recently came across a volunteer event for families. Even though I am kind of a grinch, I do enjoy volunteering, though haven't done much for a long time. But, that's a different story for a different post. ;) Anyhow, not only did I find out about Family Volunteer Day at the community center in the next biggest town over, but I also discovered that there is a volunteer network in Bloomington as well!

             I loved the idea of getting Myka involved in this and the projects sounded fun to me as well. There were different stations and yes, there were things even younger kids like Myka could do, which I thought was nice. The stations included making feral cat houses, bagging apples for a food pantry, decorating place mats for Meals on Wheels, making lap blankets for retirement home residents, and putting together care kits for a women and children halfway house. (Not sure that's the right term. It's for those trying to get away from violent households.)

             Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked because my husband decided to tag along at the last minute and there were a lot more people there than I expected. (Have I mention he has severe crowd anxiety?) Plus, we got there a bit late because we forgot the kids' bag and had to turn around (I know. You would think that would be something I would remember without a second thought by now!) and a couple of the stations had already ran out of materials to make their items! Not that that's a bad thing, though, right? Anyhow, here are a few pictures I was able to snap of our experience. :)

I was especially impressed and surprised that she didn't want to take anything home with us, let alone even mention it!

All of the cat boxes were finished, but Myka got to help finish one and decorate it.

             Do you ever volunteer with your kids? I actually hosted a “play date” of sorts with my moms group earlier this week making Christmas cards for local nursing home residents, so stay tuned for a post on that soon too!

Benefits of Practicing Yoga with Kids

             Hey folks! Let me ask you yoga lovers out there a crazy question: Have you ever thought about practicing yoga with your kids? I know what you're thinking. “Um, no. My kid would NOT stay still long enough for that!” or “No way. That's my time.” I get it, I do, but hear me out. What if you don't have the time and/or money to make it to a yoga class outside the home? Or, have you ever even thought that maybe, just maybe, your tot could benefit from yoga as well?

             I'm not a seasoned yoga practitioner by any means. I started doing yoga around this time last year when I was pregnant with my second daughter and have done it sporadically since she was born. Try as I might to distract her, my older daughter, who is 4 now, has always shown an interest whenever I pop the yoga video in. Sometimes she pays attention for most of the routine, sometimes she only lasts for 5 or 10 minutes before devolving into a crazy person trying to climb underneath me during downward facing dog. But, I have noticed a few positive, reoccurring things when she does yoga with me, which I have included in my list below, and I'm hoping after reading this post you might give practicing yoga with your kids a chance too!

Can NOT for the life of me remember what this "pose" is referred to as right now! It's on my beloved prenatal yoga video; the one where you bend over one leg with your arms outstretched, lift up in the center, then bend over the other leg, repeat...Help me out, here! ;)

*You both get to relax. Ok. So depending on your child's age and attention span, you may not be able to relax as fully as you would by yourself, but desperate times call for desperate measures, amiright? Plus, if your kid is a little bit of a spaz like mine, it will do him/her some good to have some down time and it should...

*Help kids to focus. Every kid is different and no, if you have younger children, they will most likely not pay attention the whole time, but I have been amazed by how much Myka focuses when we do yoga together. She gets really into it sometimes. And some days, it's like she's a completely different child!

*You get to spend quality time together. I know, I know. Yoga is supposed to be about being still and focusing inward, but, no matter how “intuned” your kid is, chances are they will talk at some point. Take this opportunity to help them with their positions/postures and talk about what's been going on in your and his/her day.

I love the idea of doing yoga together as spending quality time especially if you have other kids and may not otherwise get a chance to spend as much time with the one you are doing yoga with. This can be especially true of siblings that have younger or older siblings. Having a special time set aside for just them when either the baby is napping or the older kids are at school is important!

(Butterfly Pose-Baddha Konasana)

*You can make it fun and somewhat educational by incorporating animal poses. Chances are if you have a child that you are trying to do yoga with, they are too young to be going to school yet or you're planning on homeschooling etc. If they're a bit reluctant about the whole yoga thing or you just need/want to make it more interesting one day, including animal poses is always fun! What little one doesn't love animals? We use a nature-based, homeschool preschool curriculum sometimes and I have noticed that at least a few units use animal yoga poses and Myka always loves doing them!

*You and your little one get to learn something new together. In today's society, I feel like this is something rare. However, in my opinion, I feel like learning together will provide a bonding experience that you are both more likely to remember AND that you will likely remember more of what you are learning together!

*You are promoting good habits in both yourself and your child. Practicing yoga together provides the perfect opportunity to teach your children why it's important (and ok, contrary to popular belief by some!) to take “quiet, personal time” out of the day for themselves. This is especially true if you or your children happen to be introverts. We need time to recharge! Yoga may be just the thing you and/or your child need to get through the day without becoming grouchy!

             Do you do/have you done yoga with your children? Did I leave any important benefits out in my list? I'd love to hear your stories and suggestions in the comments below!