Evil mineral oil

It's in baby powder, baby wipes, lotions, aftershave, makeup, shampoo, detanglers, wall paper strippers, stain removers and the list goes on. Propylene Glycol is a colorless, alcohol based mineral oil. Skin contact has been linked to liver abnormalities and kidney damage and cancer . Good news is there are alternative products without PG. Scroll down to the bottom of this page but here are a few links:

Propylene Glycol-free Children's soaps / shampoos -Natural shampoo
Propylene Glycol-free Tooth paste - Natural Toothpaste
Organic beauty lines for the whole family - Kaia House and Futurenatural
Baby wipes - Seventh Generation and Home made

Kiddie Swaps

Forget what you might be thinking. Kiddie Swaps are for parents to swap out unwanted, gently used kid stuff for some other kid's items. We have held four of these at my work and all have been relatively successful. We have one coming up at the end of July but we are letting people bring their children's stuff in over the next two weeks to an empty office set up with labeled boxes. All the unswapped items are going to a local charity for low income women and kids. Knowing this makes it all the more fun when I am sorting through two and half years worth of toys and clothes.

Drum Roll

I should have known by the 2am screams and fever but I had no clue...I thought my 15 month old was teething so I kept loading her up with ibuprofen. Last Friday, her fever spiked to over 100 and I knew something wasn't right. I took her to urgent care the next day and sure enough she had an ear infection. Look for crankiness, difficult sleeping, tugging at ear, and fever. And if you take her/him to urgent care, make sure they thoroughly check the ear. I made two visits on the first ear infection and the doctor's were too timid checking the ear and gave up before seeing the redness and yucky stuff.

Broken bones

My oldest Janae broke her foot a month ago. Not her fault. She was running to see Papa and just happened to be passing the basketball court and Uncle Joey went back to make a shot and he fell on top of her leg. Then we have ohhhhhh about eight adults telling Janae she was okay, just walk, buck up. Well she refused to walk, thank goodness and we found out two days later it was broken. When a leg is broken, sometimes there is a little swelling, a bone peeking through and a little bruising. Janae's leg had no signs of any of this, so we were clueless. If in doubt, just go to the doctor's office. And then go shopping for shorts, skirts, skorts etc because not many pants will pull up pass the big cast/boot.

They're Killing Us

I am about tired of eating out. We went to that restaurant with the big red goofy bird last night and my two year old, Janae ordered mac n cheese with cantaloupe. I ordered a corn dog and mandarin slices for Belle, the youngest one. Janae inhaled her main dish and wanted more but before she could finish, I threw a few curved noodles Belle's way who greedily smacked most of it down but accidentally knocked over the rest on the floor. Lucky her. Back to Janae. Just as I ordered complimentary seconds for her, she says "I have to go potty." I take her and she not only pees but has diarrhea. Nice. I warn her that she will not be eating Red Robin mac n cheese anymore and she sighs knowing I am right. Here's what I found regarding MSG laden restaurant food. Tip - Read your labels, cut down on eating out and ask for no MSG when you do.

Sleeping Wonders

My girls have been hitting the pillow around 10pm, driving me further into unconsciousness. I emailed our parent group at work and got some fabulous tips. Here's what working for me: I put a sheet on the window to block out the light, sticking to a schedule of putting on pj’s at 7:30pm, last call for food – my 2.5 year old calls this her “goodnight snack”, brushing teeth around 8pm, reading a few books, send the older one to her room while I get the youngest to sleep and lights out…I put the 14 month old to sleep in 10 minutes last night! Two important tips - separate the kids and remain calm while they fuss, just hold them tight with love.

Time Eaters

Last night it seemed time was standing still. I was tired, the kids had caught a second wind and bed time couldn't come soon enough. Here are my top five ways to eat away at the clock with your kids.
1. Give them a nice, long bath with toys
2. Make popcorn, lay out a blanket and have a popcorn picnic - one kernel at a time
3. Show family videos on the TV - go back to birth and work your way to the current year
4. If its nice out, break out the sidewalk chalk and let them decorate the porch and sidewalk
5. Paint with water Activity books - comes with a paint brush, you supply the water (picture shown)