Thanks for Advice
 

Thanks. I have found a couple of 'personal chefs' listed in their area and there are many places for good gift certificates as you've suggested.

Out of sympathy for the child who would be subject to my utter ineptitude with tots, and for their own well-being, I won't offer to babysit or cook for them. :)

Thumb-sucking, take two.
 

Sorry, I haven't checked in here in a while. I've been busy at my amazing new job.

99 kids out of a hundred have no problems with thumb sucking. They do it for a while and stop. Ours was the 1 in a hundred who didn't stop and now she has a stretched palate. When our second was a baby (maybe 4 months, I don't really remember) we didn't take any chances and pulled her thumb away. We only had to do this a few times over a few days and she lost interest in it.

Thumb-sucking, take two.
 

What are the signs of a stretched palate? Our 3 y.o. has been thumb sucking for ever, usually when he's tired, and I've never worried particularly about it.

Thumb-sucking, take two.
 

When she bites, her top teeth are way in front of her bottom teeth. They don't stick out (i.e., they point straight down), it's just the top of her mouth comes out too far.

I should add that despite this, she's still drop-dead gorgeous

:)

Recitals
 

So next Saturday is my younger daughter's first dance recital. Between the entry fee, costume, and 3 tickets, it's costing me over $40 a minute in stage time.

Any other dance moms/dads out there?

How much do you spend a year on extra-curricular activities?

For us, tap, ballet, gymnastics, cheer, piano, swimming (in the summer), skiing (in the winter)--over five grand a year for two kids.

Recitals
 

Heck, between football, soccer, basketball, snowboarding, and skiing, I think we spend more than that just on the med co-pays.

Recitals
 

You are doing very well if all of those activities for two kids are only five grand. We do about $5,000 per kid in summer activities (including drama/music summer camp for six to eight weeks each). And you even get to ski!

Our best activities come via a local university -- we've discovered that the swim team gives lessons to kids during the off season and that there are many talented undergraduates looking to make some money on the side. Our kids have learned to ice skate with an undergrad who just missed the US olympic team and is wonderful with them!

Hey, what else do we have to spend the money on?

Thumb-sucking, take two.
 

My one-year-old niece was among the 99% who have no problems with thumb sucking. She started occasionally sucking her thumb around six months or so, and lost interest within a few months after that. Never used a pacifier.

LP, congrats on the new job!

Allytigator

Help!
 

My three-year old son is going thru a severe whiny/grumpy phase. He'll be fine, having a great time, then suddenly turn whiny, start moaning or screaming, whatever. Most of the time he's great. And when he's not, he's miserable. This is exhausting our capacity to say "just a stage,we'll ride it out."


Any advice????

Help!
 

Is this prevalent as the day goes on, and related to being tired? Has his routine changed recently (like giving up naps)? Is he going through a growth spurt?

One of the greed seeds had a similar problem that we discovered was tied to growing pains;muscle pains or other problems triggered a whiny, needy search for security. A little tylenol helped. Another greed seed experienced a whinny stage related to giving up naps, but wasn't going back to the naps. We lived through it, tried to get the kid to bed earlier, and it has pretty much let up.

Help!
 

His routine has changed -- he's stopped napping generally. Although it happens at various times throughout the day, and happens on days where he has napped.

I think it's tied to the cessation of naps.....

Help!
 

Try moving bedtime earlier. It's tough in our business, because it means sleep may come before Daddy gets home, but the earlier bedtime may offset the loss of naptime. There's still probably some adjustment time, though.

And, after all, most of us get a little nasty if we don't get a nap in the afternoon, don't we?

searching for crayons
 

My sister has been looking for crayons for my 1 year old nephew. She wants the ones that are really big so he can hold them easily. The only ones I can find though are just a little bit bigger than normal crayons.

Does anyone know where I can find the huge crayons that she wants?

Thanks

searching for crayons
 

Big Crayons that are Even Washable!


(editted to say look to see that the 16 crayon set on the right is the same price as the 8 crayon set I linked to - sheesh!)

Help!
 

When my daughter was that age we joked about living with a manic/depressive. Happy happy happy, but she could turn on a dime.

Partly kids need to grow into a different sleep schedule, but it might help to try the routines that work for getting yourself through the midafternoon slump: maybe quiet time in the afternoon; or the opposite - some physical activity to clear the mental cobwebs.

Blood sugar is another key in kid management - that sugar boom and bust cycle is hard to live with. If you can work in a little more protein/and or fats into the midday meal it can help smooth out the blood sugar. Peanut butter is a good standby, or whole milk yogurt, sunflower seeds . . .