Suzy Q Homemaker

I took all the kids out by myself yesterday! On Wednesdays, our library hosts guests for storytime. This week, some of the biologists from Fort Gordon brought all kinds of creepy crawlies to show the kids. After the presentation, they got to see them up close and even touch them. It was fun!


[pictures aren't working right now]

Most of you know that my husband is an English major. And I'm a big nerd, too. Our house is packed with books and we even have boxes of them in storage because there's no room for them all on our bookshelves. Every night, Jamie reads to the boys and we both spend time reading in bed before falling asleep.

Obviously, reading is important in our family. That's why I'm happy to team up with the Wright Group in promoting summer reading. We've gone to the library already to get our summer reading program materials. If you haven't already, check with your local public library to see if they have summer programs for kids. Ours has prizes for kids who complete 15 hours of reading or read a certain number of books. But it's not just going to the library that can keep your kids reading. Check out these tips from Charlene Cobb, author of one of the Wright Group/McGraw-Hill reading programs:

• Create a summer escape in your home perfect for reading. Make sure there is good light and comfortable seating to entice your kids to spend time there.
• Even if your children can read by themselves, take turns reading to each other. This helps build their skills as they listen to your tone and inflection throughout the story or article. Before, during and after you read, talk about the material. Ask you child questions and encourage you child to ask you questions
• Whether you are reading to your children or they are reading themselves, plan an event or activity that ties to the reading material. For instance, book reading can lead to picnics, museum and zoo visits, ballgames, or even family vacations.
• Look for opportunities for your child to read. If you have a manual for a new DVD player, ask your child to read you the directions. Grocery lists and “to do” lists are also good items to help kids practice reading in “real life.”
• Share the reading experience with your child by reading the same book or material they are reading so you can discuss it
• Even if you are not reading the same books as your children, talk to them about what they are reading. Ask them questions such as what happened in the story or what might happen next, who is their favorite character, or who is the villain. This builds summarization and recall skills, and your interest can help increase their interest.
• If your children’s school program provides materials for home activities, absolutely use them.
• Suggest your child read a popular series that has been turned into movies like the Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia books. When your child finishes reading the book, rent or go see the movie and discuss how each differed from the other and whether the book or movie was more enjoyable.
• Look for materials beyond fiction. Kids often prefer to read about facts, including books and articles about the environment, animals, current events, sports, and other factual topics. Talk to them about what they like and help them find reading materials that match those interests.
• Try to set aside at least one TV/video-game-free night per week for family reading. Make your family’s favorite snacks, get new books at the library and make it fun!

So what are you doing to encourage your kids to read this summer? Leave me a comment and one lucky reader will win a set of three age appropriate readers from the Wright Group reading program!

For additional entries, leave a comment for each of the following:

• Follow or subscribe to my blog
• Add my button to your sidebar
• Blog about this giveaway & link to me
  
• Tweet about this giveaway & either leave me the link or add "@terpsichore" to your tweet. Or you can copy/paste this: RT @terpsichore: Win books for your child's summer reading! http://bit.ly/WRTCB
• Use the Share button at the bottom of this post & let me know how you spread the word about this giveaway
• Follow Suzy Q Homemaker on Facebook

Contest ends July 11 at midnight EST. Open to U.S. Residents only.

Every parent sends their kids outside, right?  The thing is, I can't stand it when they are constantly coming in for one thing or another.

I'm thirtsy.
I'm hot.
I need a sword.
Look at this leaf.
Look at this flower.
Look at this bug.
Look at this rock.
Look at this stick.
Look at this pinecone.
I need to go to the bathroom.
He's being mean to me.
He hit me.
He called me a meanie butt.

So I lock the door.  They can get water from the hose and pee in the woods.  I send them outside when I can tell they're getting stir crazy or I need to mop the kitchen.  No matter how many times I tell them to stay outside, the only way they get the hint is if I make it impossible for them to come back in.

MOMMY WINS

Last week, I posted about Jamie's job search.  Unfortunately, he did not get the job he was interviewing for.  We're still waiting on hearing back from another one (I think), so keep those fingers crossed.

Tonight is the last night of VBS for the boys and Jamie's turn to take them.  We've been trading off nights to make it easier.  I think I might go shopping with Timothy while everyone is away.  Just imagine: shopping with only one baby!  It will be luxurious to say the least.

I managed to squeeze in a read-through of Byrd's Mass for Three Voices while the kids were at VBS & Timothy was in the nursery.  It was nice to be with some adults for a bit, and when I added some delicious chamber music to the mix, it was GLORIOUS.  It's so much fun to sing with intelligent singers and make some awesome moments of music.  It was also fun to exercise my sight-reading skills.  I was glad they hadn't gone completely to the crapper.

Well, Timothy is ready for me to snuggle him again and the older boys are fighting (AGAIN), so I'd better go.

Have a great Thursday!

Timothy met Emmy yesterday, the sweet daughter of my choir pals Beth & Charles.  Look how tiny she is!  Not that Timothy isn't hefty or anything...

Today’s topic is “6 things about your children that you are proud of.” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . 

Well, this should be easy.

1. Corey is a great reader.  He reads at a fifth grade level and adores the library!  I'm so glad that we've raised at least one bookworm...so far.
2. Simon potty-learned early!  The older boys took until they were three to even start, but Simon was all about the potty at the age of two.  We're still working on nighttime, but I know we'll get there.
3. Aiden excelled in Kindergarten.  He never went to pre-k, so we weren't sure how he was going to handle it.  He met all of his goals and passed all the requirements to make it to first grade.  Yes, I cried at his graduation.
4. I'm proud of Timothy (and myself!) for overcoming my oversupply issues without a nursing strike.  WHEW.
5. All three of the older boys are slowly getting their room in order thanks to the House Fairys.  Yeehaw!
6. And finally, I'm proud of all my kids for just being so darn cute.
   

I'm having a hard time adjusting to the boys being home all day.  Jamie had a lot of time off last week, which helped with the official start of summer vacation.  And it does help that he gets off work at 2:30 now that it's summer.  I still can't help but feel overwhelmed, though.

Aiden and Simon fight constantly.

Corey bugs me nonstop about playing video games.

And of course, the house is a wreck.

Did I mention that our $1500 Rainbow vacuum died?

I'm having severe anxiety with going back to "work" on Wednesday night.  For goodness' sake, I'm leaving Timothy in the loving hands of our church nursery for not even two hours.  My heart is pounding just thinking about it.  It makes me wonder how mothers who go back to work full time do it.

Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer, y'all.  I just didn't want to disappear from my blog completely and have you wonder whether or not I got carted off to the looney bin.

Life Starring Ellie & Eve put together a new meme: The Mommy Confessions.  She says, "As moms many of us have things that we would like to get off our chests or that we would just like to confess."  Here's my weekly confession:


It's hot, there are bugs out there, and it's dirty.  I kick the kids out of the house on a daily basis, so don't think I trap them in the house all day.  I just don't like going out there with them.  Here in Georgia, the humidity makes it feel like stepping into a sauna as soon as you set foot outside the front door.  I can't stand it when my clothes stick to me or when I'm constantly wiping at a film of sweat on my upper lip.  I'd rather sit indoors where there's air conditioning and cool water to drink. 

I want my kids to go outside and play.  They need the Vitamin D and fresh air.  They need to get dirty and play with bugs.  Do I like to go with them, though?

For Aiden's sixth birthday yesterday, we surprised him with a visit to the Build-a-Bear Workshop!  He had such a great time choosing his new friend Alex the Police Panda.  I still can't believe he's six.  And he'll be in First Grade.  Next thing I know, he'll be graduating high school and fulfilling his dreams of becoming a "fighter-fighter" (fireman).

Today marked six weeks since Timothy made his debut in the Grant household.  I think these past weeks are all a blur because of more than just sleep deprivation.  There's also food-deprivation, affection-deprivation, and quiet-deprivation.

I don't know why they call it a "babymoon."  Ok, sure, that first week when you're sore and want nothing more than to ice down your lady parts and eat chocolate cake all day, you appreciate everyone offering to help you to the bathroom or bring casseroles.  Your newborn only sleeps, poops, and nurses, so you can do things like lay in bed for hours at a time while watching Oprah.

But then your husband goes back to work.

It's just you, the baby, and a three-year-old who refuses to do eat or wear clothes.  I can't tell you the number of times my mother-in-law came over and asked Simon, "Where are your britches?"  Jamie is a saint and cleans when he can, but you can fight the forces of nature...or a household full of boys.

As I sit here in the kitchen, waiting for the Lipton Spanish Rice to cook for our Mexican Dip that we will eat for dinner, I see dishes on the floor under the table, a wooden alphabet block that's been on the counter for days, not to mention a cat waiting patiently by an empty water dish.  These are but a few reminders that a babymoon isn't anything like a honeymoon.

1. You can't drink
2. You can't have sex.
3. You can't travel to an exotic location and do #1 or #2 for days on end.

My makeup has probably expired since it sat untouched in the bathroom drawer for months on end.  There is a perpetual counter covered in dishes. Lucy is always reminding me to feed her and the other cats.  And a pile of clean laundry always sits unfolded in the 10-year-old papasan chair.  I could control these and all of the other everyday annoyances.  I could spend every waking minute folding, wiping, picking up, and scrubbing.  But it wouldn't leave me time to watch the milk dribble from Timothy's mouth as he nurses.  And it wouldn't give me a free hand to hold an action figure while Simon's action figure punches it.

Maybe this is a different kind of holiday.  If the next few years go by as quickly as these six weeks did, I should probably stop caring about the paper that's been on the floor in the corner of the kitchen for days and enjoy snuggling the tiny baby who will one day be too big to give me a hug in public.

I like this meme.  This week, Momdot's Small Talk Six topic is "6 pieces of advice that you think are obvious, but some people just need to hear."

So I thought I'd take a moment to list the advice I give to my children every night at the dinner table.

1. Chew with your mouth CLOSED.  It is absolutely revolting to listen to anyone smack their lips.  You sound like cows and no one wants to see what you're eating.
2. Don't talk with your mouth full.  Again, we don't need to view the contents of your mouth while you're trying to tell us about what Emily did at recess.  If you need to say something, it can wait until you're done chewing.
3. Get your elbows off the table!  You look like you are bored and don't want to be here with us.  If you're that tired, go to bed.
4. Please use a knife.  Use the knife to cut your food and to push the bits of rice and corn onto your fork.  We don't use our fingers at the table unless we're eating "finger" foods.
5. Don't slurp your drink.  Especially if you are using a straw, it's rude to audibly siphon the last few drops of your milk.  Get some more to drink if you're still thirsty.
6. NO BODILY NOISES AT THE TABLE!  No burping, farting, snorting, grunting, growling, or loud singing.  This includes fart noises made with knee pits and armpits (Aiden)!

What advice would you give?  Join in the conversation at Momdot.

This is the most adorable BBQ set I've ever seen.  I hate those plastic ones you find in stores.  You know, the ones that sing and make stupid noises?  The design of this play grill is clean and simple.




The ketchup and mustard bottles you can get to go with it are pretty cute, too.




Don't forget to get the hamburgers with all the fixin's!




Oh yeah.  The cute chef's hat and apron set is also a must-have for your little grill master.

And by "monster" I mean Simon (in case you didn't get that).


Tomorrow, Simon will be turning three.  THREE.  I have learned from past experience that the age of three is even harder than the age of two.  Three-year-old's have this insane stubborn streak that, if crossed, results in the ugliest, loudest meltdowns that you have ever witnessed.  If something doesn't go their way, the immediate response is screaming and crying at full volume, stomping, throwing of objects that are in hand or close by, and flailing of all appendages.  Just yesterday, Simon threw a remote at me because I wouldn't let him play Playstation.  Please know that I have never let him play Playstation.  All the video game crap is on low-lying shelves in the living room where he can easily go through it.  He got it in his head that he was going to play a game and threw a 20-minute tantrum when I said no.

So how do I handle all of this with a newborn?

I DON'T KNOW.

I have always had a newborn and a three-year-old at the same time.  Perhaps it is the universe making it so I won't be too hard on my toddlers when they make me want to tear my hair out.  A lot of the time, they are doing something like throwing the laundry around the living room or kicking the cats when I am nursing or holding the baby.  So they are lucky I can't jump up and chase them down.

Sometimes, situtations just work out.  Like I was glad Timothy had been taking a nap when Simon pooped all over himself and I had to give him a bath.  Had Timothy been awake, I really don't know what I would have done (other than cry).

Did you know that:

• 8.8 million children in the U.S. do not have health insurance
• Insured children are more likely to receive preventative care, and therefore they get sick less often
• Many adult chronic conditions have their origins in childhood
• Even with insurance, children currently receive only 41% of preventative medical care

Speak Now for Kids is a grassroots campaign that urges parents, family members, health care providers and other advocates to tell Congress why children matter in health reform – through stories, photos and videos.

What you can do:

Visit Speak Now for Kids to:

• Learn about the campaign.
• Speak to Congress about the importance of children's health care.
• Share the message through your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail.

To learn more about the campaign and tweet with a representative from the National Association of Children's Hospitals, join us this Wednesday, May 6th, from 9 to 10 p.m. eastern time on Twitter for a #SpeakNowforKids SiteWarming.

RSVP at Resourceful Mommy and spread the word! Together we can make a difference.

Jamie and I, we're huge Ghost Hunters fans.  If you watch it as often as we do, you've surely seen the ads calling for "the next Jay and Grant."  So we were like, wouldn't it be funny if we taped us with pots and colanders on our heads and sent it in as a joke?  Not that we'd really do it.  Yesterday, Jamie went "ghost hunting" with Simon.

If you have kids, you KNOW what it's like to have them get sick.  And to have them get sick with a stomach bug can be a nightmare!  All the towels, sheets, buckets, mops, etc.  Hoo Lordy.


So what can a mother do to help prevent tummy troubles in their little ones?  Well, I was sent a box of Florastor Kids to try out.  Florastor is a probiotic supplement which is recommended by Dr. Sears!  As an attachment parenting advocate, I really trust the opinion of Dr. Sears.  Here's what he has to say about it:

Q:  Do you recommend probiotics for kids?
A:I’ve been recommending probiotics for years, and it’s now a recognized treatment for kids when they have diarrhea.  When kids get diarrhea, a probiotic can help replenish the “good” bacteria that is supposed to be living in the intestine – which will improve their digestion.

Q:How do the effects of Florastor Kids differ from those of bacteria-based probiotics, such as acidophilus?

A: One of the key differences in a yeast-based probiotic, such as Florastor Kids, is that it can not be killed by antibiotics, and it, in turn, protects the body’s own flora during the course of antibiotic treatment to guard against antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea occurs when antibiotics disturb the natural balance of “good” and “bad” microbiota in the intestinal tract, causing harmful bacteria to grow far beyond their normal numbers. The result is often frequent, watery bowel movements.

Q:  Which kids could benefit from Florastor Kids?

A:  Florastor Kids has been proven effective in managing a wide variety of intestinal problems, but is often used to help with:

• Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea (AAD)
• Acute gastroenteritis (general, sudden onset diarrhea)
• Traveler’s diarrhea
• Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (C. diff)
• Chronic inflammatory intestinal conditions, such as Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s

So basically, you just mix up a packet of Florastor in a cup of juice.  I had my 8-year-old try it out and he says you can't even taste it!

I have a box of Florastor Kids to send to one of my readers!  For a chance to win fill out the entry form below.  All responses are for my eyes only and I do not sell your information.  :)

This giveaway ends on Monday, May 11, 2009 at 10:00 p.m. EST.  Open to US and Canada only.

• Muttaqin newborn fitteds.  I did a trade for a couple of these and they are fantastic.  There are a few other diapers out there similar to Mutts and we like them, too.
• Earth's Best Lavender Everyday Lotion.  It smells so good!
• Gilligan & O'Malley Nursing Tanks.  I got them at Target and like them a million times better than the Glamourmom tank I spent way too much money on.
• Bravado Nursing Bra.  Found one on ebay and it is the best nursing bra I have ever owned.
• This picture:

Hey guys!  Thanks for all the great feedback on my Oliver's Labels post.  I'm glad you all like them as much as I do.  :)

The nice people from Oliver's Labels are offering you all a 10% discount on all your orders!  Enter the code "Oliverslabels" at checkout.  Yay!   It expires on May 31, 2009, so hurry up.