This May, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Child Mind Institute (CMI) is running its #MyYoungerSelf campaign. The independent non-profit organization that focuses on the mental health of children has made videos of over 30 influential people who have struggled with mental health issues or a learning disorder since childhood.
There is so much information out there that about pregnancy and keeping your unborn child safe during the crucial development in the womb. In fact, there is so much information that it can get a bit overwhelming. While out to a restaurant with girlfriends the other day, I expressed that I was really wanting a cup of tea but that I wasn’t supposed to drink tea while pregnant. One of my friends stated that her doctor never said anything about tea and she drank it all the time. This got me thinking….why are we all getting different information and is there a place where you can go to get ONE LIST of do’s and don’ts? The answer is….NOPE! Oh believe me, there are lists and lists, but none that compile everything into one document. By no means am I a doctor nor do I specialize in prenatal care, but I am a pregnant momma who is seeking the answers for her own benefit to share with all of you and I think that the research I have done is sufficient for any pregnant woman out there.
Well…Baby #3 is going to be joining our family Thanksgiving 2017 and we are pretty excited and nervous all bundled into one at the thought of going from 2 to 3 kiddos. We have always wanted a bit of a larger family and 4 was always our “perfect” number. After being blessed with two beautiful baby girls, we were pretty certain that 4 may not be in our future but 3 was a must! So…here we are!
Having been through this 2 previous times now, I do have some advice for us mommas…
Summer is coming and so is bathing suit season! If you are anything like my family, you can’t wait to hit the beaches or swimming pools this summer. But…being aware of your surroundings is key to keeping everyone safe.
I don’t know about you, but I am continuously changing out bath toys as they get mildew stains, bitten, gross, etc. from wear and tear. I have found some inexpensive MUST HAVE bath toys that won’t break the bank and are easily disposed of, don’t take up a ton of room, and the kids LOVE playing with!
“He hasn’t rolled over yet?”
“Aren’t kids usually talking by now?”
People may not mean to be insensitive when they ask you questions like these. But it can still be upsetting to see other kids passing milestones before your child does.
Not meeting these types of milestones isn’t always a sign that your child has a developmental delay. If it turns out he does have a delay, however, getting supports and services early may help him catch up more quickly.
I LOVE eating healthy and challenging myself to feed my family right. My main motivation in writing this blog this morning is to help make natural & healthy living easier for other families. Certainly, this job is easier said than done, and getting kids to actually eat the healthy foods we prepare can be difficult.
I’ve also found that having kids help with acquiring the food (through gardening and shopping) and preparing the food with kid-appropriate tasks like chopping with a crinkle cutter, stirring food or helping serve goes a long way toward helping my kids want to eat the food I prepare.
Getting my girls to eat their veggies can be tricky if it isn’t one they prefer. I usually have to think creatively, be mindful of their nutrition, and a bit sneaky as well. Here are some tips that may help keep your little one from turning up his/her nose at the dinner table. I know there are some I have not used yet that this momma plans to implement!
When our daughter (Annora) was just 13 months old, I was out of town on a work blitz and my husband was holding down the fort with her. When I returned, he explained to me that she had been doing some strange head thrusts and he wasn’t quite sure what it was. I quickly grabbed our baby girl to embrace her. As I was holding her, sure enough she demonstrated the head thrusts my husband had just described. My heart sank! I couldn’t wrap my mind around what was going on and I did what any momma would do, I frantically called the pediatrician’s office. They directed us to go to the hospital where Annora was admitted for further testing. She was poked, proded, tested, retested, etc. and the tests came inconclusive. We were referred to a developmental pediatricianwho got to the bottom of our daughter’s ailments. She quickly realized that Annora suffered from hypotonia (low muscle tone) and that her iron levels were low as well. She referred us to a GI doctor for peds and also gave us the information for an organization called Help Me Grow.