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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Entertaining a Toddler - Part 3

I inadvertently discovered this trick - but wow, was it awesome!  Our family is taking a trip this week, which will require all four of us to be on an airplane - about the worst place imaginable to be with a toddler.  Anyway, I was preparing a bag of tricks and surprises to keep my son entertained on the plane.  I was putting everything in a new roller backpack (similar to the one his sister has).  Well, my daughter and my son found the roller backpack in my closet on their own and were immediately entertained!  I got my daughter's roller backpack out, too, and seriously, the two of them walked/ran through the house with their backpacks for 30 minutes.  They didn't destroy anything.  They didn't hurt each other.  They just had a blast pushing the backpacks through the entire house.  So if you have a toddler (and hard wood or tile floors) - get him or her a rolling backpack!  Tons of fun!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

I'm Adding "Plan Time for Me" to my To-Do List

The past few months have been stressful at our house - a toddler, an intense 4 year old, two full-time jobs, and a new business.  And I basically feel like there is so much to do, I can't rationalize taking time to relax.  Even if I did take the time, I would feel too guilty and to preoccupied to actually relax.  Normally, running helps clear my head but lately, my runs are filled with making to-do lists in my head...so sadly, I finish the run feeling more stressed than when I started.
So what's a girl to do?  I want to stay sane.  I want to have some remaining patience with my kids, and I want to get my business launched - because there is a direct correlation between that and my stress level.  
I could ask my husband to do more but hey, he's already doing a lot and making him more stressed just makes me more stressed.  I could ask my toddler and four year old to do more - ha, ha, ha.  Oh, that actually made me laugh out loud.  
So I've decided to try a highly recommended tactic - literally give myself the assignment of doing something relaxing (i.e. a massage).  For some reason, if I take the fun out of things by making it an assignment, then, I feel less guilty and entitled to do it.  So it is now on my calendar once a month - "Plan 4 hours to do something selfish and relaxing."  Hey, the calendar says I have to do it.  

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Does the iPhone5 Really Make you More Powerful?

So I'm sure you've seen Apple's new campaign promoting that the iPhone5 makes you more powerful.  You know, one of the ads has the crazy song about chicken fat?  Which incidentally, that is a real song recorded in the 60's during the JFK administration to motivate kids to exercise in school.  Nothing like telling you to get rid of chicken fat to get you going!
Anyway, I digress.  So every time I see the parenthood iPhone5 ad, it actually makes me feel MORE OVERWHELMED rather than more powerful.  I'm lying in bed finally relaxing and then, BAM.  I see that ad and think about the craziness of the day and the craziness of tomorrow.  Oh and I'm thinking "Should I be searching for all of these amazing apps to make me a better parent?  Should I add that to my to-do list tomorrow?"  Then, I think "Well, they also have an ad about chicken fat, so I'm not going worry too much about this," and I go to sleep.
What do you think?  Does the iPhone5 simplify your life?  Are there some amazing wonderful apps out there I should be using?

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Idea Number 2 for Entertaining a Toddler

Keeping with the easy, one idea at a time -- here's number 2!

Connect 4!  Yes, I know it says it's for 6 years+, but toddlers who at least have the fine motor skills to put the checkers in the board LOVE it!  I confess I read this idea somewhere awhile ago and kept meaning to try it have forgotten.  But this weekend, my daughter was playing with this game with her granddad.  Our 18 month old son began observing the fun and quickly wanted to join in.  Fortunately, our daughter loves entertaining him, so she loved that he wanted to play.  The two of them sat there for 10 minutes uninterrupted making designs together in the Connect 4 board.  So cute!  So easy!