Sleeping Pills For Kids?

I have finally managed to get Amy (my youngest) to go down for her nap. She has been upstairs screaming for an hour! I have never seen a child so stubborn (well, except for her sister!). I have been given 2 beautiful little girls, and I know I am so lucky, but I have to say that I have also been given the 2 most stubborn kids in the world, especially when it comes to sleeping! Morgan was a nightmare to get to sleep, and she never started to sleep through the night until -and I am not kidding about this-- about 2 days before Amy was born! And Amy has never slept through the night. Everyone says "You just have to let them cry!" Well, I have done that, but when the neighbors are calling and complaining about the noise, what can you do? OK, maybe no one has ever really complained, but I know they have to be able to hear the screaming all the way downtown! Both my kids seem to be able to function on very little sleep, which isn't great for a mom who desperately needs her sleep! All I can say is "thank God for coffee!!"
Oh, I hear her crying. She has managed to stay asleep for about half an hour. I think I need to go downtown and invest in some heavy duty earplugs!

It Is All Worth Every Penny!

I cannot believe how hard it can be sometimes to find an extra few minutes in the day to actually sit down and write something worth reading here! I honestly don't know how all you moms who are working outside the home manage your time. I never seem to have time to even go to the "little girls room" without having someone needing something! Anyway, the truth is, I really don't have anything overly exciting to report today, but I have been wanting to put this in for awhile. It's a copy of an email my father-in-law sent me. I think it is just great, and pretty much sums up what is important. Take a look:

The Price of Children

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down.

It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* wishing on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay or Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat to history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.
You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits.

So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!!!!!!!> __________________________________________________

I just wanted everyone to have the chance to read this. Print it out and hang it up where you can see it and remind yourself of what is really important in your life.
Now, I have to go because one of the very important parts of my life is "just so hungry!!"

Website For Moms Is Ready!

Well, I have finally managed to find time to write again! I guess to be completely honest, I have probably had the time, but I have either been too exhausted (kids who never sleep...) or Grey's Anatomy was on. Anyway, Morgan's second day of nursery school went a little bit better (very little, but better). She still cried, before we even left the house, and she was actually trembling when we were in the hall taking her jacket off. And, she still cried when I left, but they didn't have to hold her as tight. Baby steps they always say! I just don't know how much longer I can take it! I am actually finding myself dreading school days. It's like I'm 10 all over again!!!
Oh well, the trials of motherhood. So, I think I actually have my website almost ready. If you want to check it out, go to www.momstimecafe.com. I almost have it to where I had pictured it. And, remember, I am nowhere near being a computer whiz, so there may be things not working properly or whatever else, but I am pretty proud of it so far. I am asking for help building up the womens health section from anyone out there who has a story to tell. So, go take a look around, and if you want to contribute, you can find all the information you need there.
Until next time, this mom's off to bed!

Our First Day Of School!

Well, today was the first day of nursery school! Morgan was excited all night and all morning getting ready- then we got to school! Once we got in the classroom, and she saw some of the kids crying, she started to think that maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all! I knew she was starting to panic, then when I said I was going -- well let's just say things kind of fell apart! She was crying so hard and taking her name tag off because she was NOT staying, I did not know what to do! Luckily, the helper came and held her and I literally had to walk out with her screaming and kicking. I have never done anything so hard in my whole life -- even giving birth to her with forceps and all was not so hard on me! Anyway, luckily 2 of my friends who had dropped their kids off as well, were waiting for me in the hall, and they just took my arm and dragged me out of there! We went for coffee, and the whole time I was waiting for the phone to ring asking me to come and pick her up. Well, it never rang, and when I walked back in to get her -- miraculously there was no crying or screaming! That felt SO good! Apparently, she cried for a couple of minutes, then nothing! She actually had fun! I just hope that it wasn't so traumatic that she kicks up a bigger fuss on Thursday when we go back. But, all in all, the day went OK, and I am feeling mixed feelings. I am so glad that she did alright and had fun, but on the other hand, I feel a bit sad that my baby isn't so little anymore. All I know is that today I had first hand knowledge of that old saying:
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone."
I know that when I walked out that door, I left my heart in that classroom, but luckily, I got it back in one piece - a little battered, but a bit more grown up!

Yard Sale Nightmare

Hi! I haven't been back for a few days. I was getting ready to have a yard sale on Saturday. All I can say is WHY? The work that goes into something like this is ridiculous! Organizing, cleaning, pricing, advertising, setting up -- and for what? A group of us went together to have it, so we had a ton of stuff. And to make things even better, it was raining! Hasn't rained all summer -- but, it had to rain on us! And, my garage is very small, so trying to cram everything in was a bit difficult. Oh well, the things we do. I was really only doing it to try and get rid of some of my baby things, which in the end didn't work so great either. After the stuff was put in the garage, I spent all week sneaking out and bringing things back in that I didn't think I was really ready to part with yet. Kind of pathetic really! My husband has no idea I have brought so much back in! Even some of the clothes, I started to go through and couldn't bring myself to sell. Oh well, I wasn't the only one -- I noticed my sister sneaking some things of her kids back into her box. Maybe someday we'll be ready! And anyway, at least I made a bit more than my sister, who only made $4.00! At least there was some humor to the day!

Menu Planner For Moms

Hi! I just wanted to introduce you to something I have run across that I think is a wonderful service for all busy moms. You all know that I don't have any kids in school yet, but I know alot of families who do, and I really think this is something for everyone to consider. Read over the article provided, them go and check it out for yourself.

Dinner Planning For Busy School Days

Another summer has quickly passed us by. The kids have reluctantly gone back to school. It stands to reason that life should be a little less hectic, right? Unfortunately, that's usually not the case. Between all of your daily 'Mom obligations', helping with homework and providing transportation to every extra-curricular activity under the sun, you probably have little time to devote to dinner planning. Many times busy parents resort to hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, frozen pizza or frequent trips to a fast-food restaurant. That's not healthy for you or the kids - not to mention its pretty rough on the family grocery budget.

Kitchen time savers:
There are things you can do to cut down on time spent in the kitchen. Pick one day a week and prepare several freezer friendly meals. You can even go the extra mile and package them in individual serving size containers. Doing so will provide your family with a larger variety of entrée choices, on any given day. Do you have friends that are intrigued with the idea of a one-day a week cooking spree or a meal planning service? Get together with 2 or 3 of them. Each of you decides on 2 main dishes you want to prepare. Buy enough ingredients to make the entrees for each family.

You need to plan ahead:
One simple thing that you can do is keep an ample supply of fresh fruits, salad ingredients, soups and fresh sandwich fixings, on hand. Quick meals such as this are nutritious and don't require a great deal of preparation time. If you take on the task of meal planning and want to get in the habit of consistently putting together weekly menus yourself, you may be surprised at how much time it involves. Did you know that the typical family meal planner spends roughly 3 hours per week combing through cookbooks, choosing recipes and compiling a grocery list? That translates into 156 hours, per year. Yikes!

A menu service can help:
You can say goodbye to last minute thrown together meals and eliminate the stress of dinner planning for your family by subscribing to a meal planning service. This type of service is very affordable, usually costing only a few cents per day. Menus are often designed to be family friendly and easily adaptable. When you purchase a subscription to a service such as this, your membership will typically feature a weekly menu emailed right to your inbox. This includes seven main dish recipes, side dish suggestions and dessert ideas. As an added benefit, you receive a detailed shopping list, categorized by aisle, which makes your trip to the grocery store that much easier. Simply cross off items already in your pantry, add any other products you may be in need of and you're off! If you enjoy planning your own menu, you may want to consider a dinner planning service, in addition to your own choices. Why? It will still save you time, in the long run. Use the membership menu as a base. Then, search for recipes that will deliciously compliment that weekly plan. Remember, nothing is more important than family time. Don't let dinner planning get you down. Consider the suggestions we've made and you'll spend less time slaving over a hot stove and more time with the people youlove. __________________________________________________

For a free one week trial of a family friendly meal planning service,visit
Weekly Meal Planning - Free Sample

This site is really a great resource for busy moms. It is called "Dine Without Whine". Doesn't that sound like music to your ears? Now, if only someone could come up with "Car Ride without Whine", "Bedtime without Whine", "Clean Up without Whine".........

Why Is She Biting?

So, I haven't written anything for the last couple of days. I have really been working on getting the kinks out of the website I am working on. It really isn't that easy when you basically don't have a clue what you are doing!
Today, Morgan (my 3 year old), bit her little sister. I didn't know for sure what had happened--I heard Amy cry, but Morgan wouldn't tell me what she had done. I figured it out about 10 minutes later when I saw the bite marks on Amy's arm. I have been so upset about it! I really had hoped that I was past the age of having to worry about the whole biting thing. I know some other people who have had trouble with their kids biting in daycare, so I hoped that Morgan wouldn't have had the opportunity to see it happening and maybe wouldn't start herself. Guess I was wrong there! I did ask her later why she did it, and where she had seen it. All I got was that "that's what you do when the boys are being bad." So, the only thing I can think of is the other day she was playing with some boys in the McDonald's Playland. Maybe one of the boys bit another--I'll probably never know. I guess you can't sheild them from life though. It is an experience you have to just help her through, and hope no other kids get hurt in the meantime! But, I gotta tell ya--Mommy was SO upset tonight! Any tips?

The Mayonnaise Jar & Two Cups of Coffee

I have been wanting to put this in now for awhile. My sister gave me a copy of it awhile ago, and I framed it and leave it by my desk. I think the message is great, and it is a wonderful insight into what is important in our lives, especially as moms. I'm not sure who wrote it, but the message is what means the most.

The Mayonnaise Jar & Two Cups of Coffee

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty spaces between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost, and only they remained, your life would still be full".

"The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house and your car."

"The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Praying and asking God to help, play with your children. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled, "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend."

Baby Steps

Today I am finally able to sit back at my computer. For the last 2 days, I endured the most dreaded thing for a mom to face -- getting the flu. It was a good one! My husband (who is a truck driver), had actually taken over a week off, but the day he went back to work, I got sick! What a nightmare! My 3 year old tried to help with her sister (17 mos.), but mostly I still had to do all the mom stuff -- such as changing diapers, which isn't my strong point at the best of times! Anyway, I survived, and so far no one else has been struck down, so hopefully we're in the clear.
I had to take Morgan to her nursery school open house tonight. I am having mixed feelings about her going. The only reason I signed her up at 3 years old, is because I am afraid she is getting to "clingy" to me. It has gotten so bad that I can't even come downstairs to put laundry in without her panicking and thinking I have left. I can't go downtown without her, I can't leave her anywhere. So, I thought she needed to have a chance to be with other kids, and learn how to interact with other people besides me. But, of course, I think I'm having just as hard of a time with the whole thing! I am so nervous! I want her to be O.K., but I still wish she wasn't big enough to go yet. I know that the day I drop her off and walk out the door, with her crying in the background -- I think my heart will just shatter! I guess it is just what us moms have to deal with -- your instinct tells you to protect them, and not let them suffer, but you know that you have to let them go through this on their own. Why didn't anyone tell me that being a mom was going to be such a heart wrenching job sometimes!
I'm sure we'll be alright; I'll let you know. It doesn't actually start until the 19th, so I still have my baby for a few more days!

Can't Buy in Canada

Hi! I just recieved your comment Lisa about not being able to buy in Canada. Unfortunately, it is only available in the U.S. right now. I think it is a trial that Amazon is doing to see how it goes. I'll keep you posted when it becomes available in Canada, and I will for sure let them know that it needs to be made available to Canadians as well.

Time To Go Shopping!

Yesterday I set up a store through Amazon.com. I don't know if you have ever gone and browsed around on Amazon; it is definately more than books! They have a ton of great things there! Gift ideas, stuff for the kids or yourself--they really have a great selection. Anyway, I think it is great because you can get the things you need delivered right to your home. Save you from having to drag your kids around with you shopping!! Check it out, and let me know what you think. Go to http://astore.amazon.com/momstimecafec-20. I'm still working on the website-- I tell you, it isn't easy! Especially when the only time I get to work on it is when the kids go to bed, and usually by then it is all I can do to keep my eyes open. I'll keep you updated on my progress.
(By the way, they have some REALLY great purses over there! You have to go and take a look!)