Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Simplify the Bedtime Resource List

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

Thank you all for joining me this week on MomAdvice Simplified and the discussion on simplifying the bedtime routine. I just wanted to gather up a resource list, from today’s episode, to help you manage the bedtime hour a little easier. You can still listen to today’s show, just by visiting the BlogTalkRadio widget on the left. I am having some weird audio problems on today’s episode so the first five minutes cut out, but we are working to fix this, as we speak!

Bedtime Bootcamp- Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect and Dr. Marc Weissbluth are proud to present Bedtime Bootcamp to help parents establish healthy family sleep habits. Dr. Weissbluth is highly regarded among parents for being one of the biggest names in sleep-training, and now parents can participate in what is quickly becoming all-the-rage online: Bedtime Bootcamps, hosted by Dr. Weissbluth himself. Each week for four weeks, Dr. Weissbluth will post a challenge on Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect.com where parents can discuss with the site’s community of parents, and apply what they learn at home. From implementing techniques to wind down after school, cook healthy dinners that promote good sleep, ritualize bath time and story time, Dr. Weissbluth will help parents get a good sleep routine in place, and he’ll answer their questions online along the way. He’ll even comment on parent’s routines if they post them on the site.

Sleep Rules– These are the rules that Dr. Weissbluth recommends for getting your child to go to bed and stay in bed. These guidelines, in particular, are designed for children who are over 2 1/2-3 years old.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child– One of the country’s leading researchers updates his revolutionary approach to solving–and preventing–your children’s sleep problems. Dr. Weissbluth outlines proven strategies that ensure good, healthy sleep for every age. This distinguished pediatrician and father of four explains with authority and reassurance his step-by-step regime for instituting beneficial habits within the framework of your child’s natural sleep cycles.

Sleep Deprived No More– Although there are many books on getting baby to sleep, Sleep Deprived No More focuses on someone else who isn’t getting any rest — the mom! Organized trimester by trimester both during and after pregnancy, this guide is straightforward, accessibly written, and easy to navigate so moms can quickly get the help — and rest — they need. Covers sleep conditions common to pregnancy and afterward: In addition to erratic feeding schedules causing moms to lose sleep, there are many sleep issues specific to pregnancy and new motherhood, including Restless Legs Syndrome, Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, and more. Tips and tricks for making it through the day: Mindell also gives moms the lowdown on how to catch up on sleep and stay focused throughout the day, even if you’re waking up every few hours at night. Includes sleep advice for baby, too: Included also is the author’s expert advice on the best ways to get baby to sleep through the night, making this an all-in-one resource.

Great Sleeping Tips- These are some of the tips that I highlighted in today’s episode that can help you get your child to sleep.

Just Call Me Ticketmaster– This is the rewards system we used to get our son to go to bed nicely and head to school nicely and is a fun variation on the Sleep Rules Chart that Dr. Weissbluth recommends.



On next week’s show…
I have a very exciting episode scheduled and a guest that I think you are really going to enjoy hearing from on simplifying the after-school chaos. Olympic gymnastic champion, Mary Lou Retton, joins our show to discuss how she simplifies and deals with the after-school chaos in her home. As a mother of four girls, she offers helpful real-life tips she uses with her family, and supplies a game plan that will help you conquer after-school chaos. I would love if you would join us as we discuss making after-school time easier for your family.
This show will air on March 5th at 2PM EST!

MomAdvice Simplified: Simplify the Bedtime Routine

Thursday, February 26th, 2009


On MomAdvice Simplified, my weekly podcast for moms, we will be joined by Dr. Marc Weissbluth, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University in Chicago and founder of The Sleep Disorder Center at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a practicing pediatrician.

Is bedtime an hour of stress in your house? Are you constantly battling with your children at bedtime? Are you struggling with getting sleep yourself?

Dr. Weissbluth will be joining us to share his expertise to help with those bedtime blues. Dr. Marc Weissbluth & ParentsConnect are proud to present Bedtime Bootcamp to help parents establish healthy family sleep habits.

Dr. Weissbluth is highly regarded among parents for being one of the biggest names in sleep-training, and now parents can participate in what is quickly becoming all-the-rage online: Bedtime Bootcamps, hosted by Dr. Weissbluth himself.

He joins my show this week to share some tips for nailing the bedtime hour and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Just as a reminder, you can listen to the show live every Thursday at 2PM EST or you can listen later right here on my the left sidebar! Check back after the show for our resource list so you can explore all of the great links to book and advice that we share during our half hour.

Hope

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

We eat our lunch together, as we always do. Emily makes the same exact request as she always does- a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, a few chips, applesauce, and lemonade. She dips her fingers in the applesauce, just as she does every single day, and is eating it off her fingers. I try to guide her to use the spoon, just as I always do, and settle in next to her.

The scenery is different today though. We are watching the inauguration of our new President and she watches in awe of the fanfare, the tiny people waving their American flags, and wiggles in time to the music. She even attempts to hum along to the music and, for some strange reason, my independent little girl asks if I will hold her as we watch.

And I watch, with tears streaming down my face, as our President makes his speech. I feel hope in my heart for our country. This isn’t a political stance for me, but a hope that the changing of the guards will bring new ideas and new opportunities for our country. A hope that we can turn this economy around for our family, our friends, those we don’t even know. That life could be better. The possibility for what the future could hold. An undeniable hope.

Yes, some things remain the same and some things, they are changing.

Did you watch the inauguration with your children or are you discussing this historic day with them? Any family nights planned? I would love to hear what you are doing today and what you are talking about with your kids!

Today I Am 31

Friday, January 16th, 2009

I can make big things happen.

In the end, this is all that matters.

My desire to learn will never end.


My capacity to love my children encompasses every fiber of my body and embeds itself deeper every year.

Some moments in my life are far grander than I dreamed possible.

I can survive that first day of kindergarten, even if I cried like a baby for two days straight.

Each year that passes I will look more like my mother.

I have discovered the beauty in things I did not appreciate.

No matter how big I get, I will always be daddy’s little girl.

I have found a life of simplicity is the best kind of life to lead.

I will be rewarded for my hard work.

I am finding that the more work I put into it, the more my house becomes my very own dream home.

If I have only one word to describe this year of life for me it would be content. I am finally content with who I am and where I am going in life. I am content with what I have and the possibility of what might be attained.

It has been a wonderful year and I thank you for sharing it with me.

xoxoxo,
Amy

Wordless Wednesday: Locks of Love

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

Visit Locks of Love to learn how you can make a donation!

My New Year’s Resolution for 2008: Simplify

Monday, December 29th, 2008

Each year I make a list of resolutions for the New Year and I am usually pretty good at keeping to my resolutions. My resolution this year is really only one goal with a few subcategories… to merely simplify my life.

I have great ideas for how to implement my goals and would love if you would join me on my journey this year. These are the three main categories for my goals this year.

Simplify my life by bringing in more organizational strategies and reducing the clutter.

Simplify my life by gaining more control over my finances and committing to at least one no spend month this year.

Simplify my life by making my self-care a priority this year.

There are so many elements to this and with the new goal in mind, I am planning to take you on a journey by sharing how I work towards my goals of simplifying the routines in my life.

I have thought a lot about how I could take you on this journey with me and an opportunity has arisen to begin my own podcast show in this new year through Blog Talk Radio. Starting in January I will be broadcasting through an Eleven Moms channel through Walmart where we can each have our own show or partner up on shows with one another.

My show will be The MotherLoad Simplified where I will be sharing ideas and be interviewing other great bloggers on how I can reach my goals towards simplifying routines like home organization, beauty care/fashion, simplifying the dinner hour, and simplifying the family finances. I think it will be a great way to engage with our readers in a new way and will showcase our goals for the New Year. This new adventure will be starting sometime in January and I will keep you posted as details develop. Of course, I will be blogging my journey too and keeping to our website themes of basic home management.

What is your New Year’s Resolution(s) this year? Is there something you would like to simplify in the upcoming year?

(photo credit: Ani)

A Clark Kind of Holiday ’08

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

We opted to celebrate our Christmas this Sunday instead of waiting until the actual Christmas because we have so many family festivities to attend. The kids love getting their presents a little early and I love keeping them busy as we prepare for all the hustle and bustle of the season.

Our annual cinnamon roll Christmas tree was made for the children to devour it. It is so simple, but the entire family loves it and looks forward to it each year. To make it you just need two containers of cinnamon rolls and make a shape into the tree. Serve with oodles of hot cocoa and watch the children bounce off the walls in delight and sugar-infused fun.


Sometimes it is hard to say what the favorite present is, but this year there were two clear winners with the kids. The first one… the infamous superhero cape. I got Emily a princess cape, but she wanted to try on brother’s cool cape instead. Ethan has pledged his loyalty with Batman forever and I am sure we helped seal the deal with a Batman Lego Set & a Batman Shake & Rattle Car, but the kid hasn’t taken the costume off since he got it. He has been pretending to fly around the house rescuing us all from the unnecessary evils of the world.

The other true winner was the Baby Alive Doll. We aren’t giving her the food and things like that, but I love that she can make the baby pretend to go potty since she, herself, refuses to go on the potty. I am hoping it will bring her inspiration, but until then she can play with her baby. She loved this baby so much that she refused to open the rest of her gifts. “Emily, do you want to open one of your presents?” “NO, MOMMY. YOU STOP! I WANT TO PLAY WITH MY BABY.” Ah, the joys of turning three!

I will definitely share our favorite presents of the year after all of the present opening has been done and will write them down for gift ideas next year for our blog.



After all the presents were opened, they grabbed their new sleeping bags and pillows from their bed and camped out to rest. They watched their new box set of Max & Ruby Christmas specials and enjoyed a leisurely afternoon after all the festivities.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A Miscellaneous Post of Thrifty Holiday Ideas

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008

The gifts are wrapped and tucked beneath the tree. I opted for reusable grocery bags in lieu of the traditional gift bag this year. I am such a fan of the Target bags and the clever designs that they implement into their bags. These fold up into the size of a small cosmetic case and had a pocket in the front too, perfect for tucking a gift card or a note of appreciation to someone. These were only $1.50, but everyone was so excited to get these this year. There are just a couple of pieces of tissue paper at the top, but the bottom was stuffed with newspaper that would have gone in our recycle bin. The newspaper helped these stand a little more upright since they were not flat-bottomed. I felt proud about my eco-friendly alternative and am hoping to convert some of my plastic-bag-lovin’ family members over to the joys of reusable bags.

We did not buy any new decorations this year, but I opted to decorate with what we already had instead. This wall of pictures behind our Christmas tree needed some sprucing up so I covered the photos with some leftover holiday wrap and bows. I thought it tied in the Christmas spirit beautifully and look forward to doing this each year!

I did my annual gift exchange with my best friend. Do you recognize the pom pom? It is made from Target bags and was featured in our notebook. She was so proud to give it to me and I was so excited to see how her “notebook experiment” turned out. Tucked inside was Better Homes & Gardens Ultimate Cookie Book, 2-at-a-Time Socks, a gorgeous teal velvet blazer (found at the thrift store), and a set of note cards with shoes on them. Now THAT is a friend that knows you well! We put a $20 dollar limit on our gifts and always try to outdo each other with our thrift store finds and killer deals.

We worked on mailing and addressing all of our holiday cards for the year. Ethan helped me put on the stamps and we created an assembly line of stamping; he stamped with his stamps and I stamped a snowflake rubber stamp on each and dropped them in the mail. I mailed off my friend’s baby blanket and noticed that shipping costs have been reduced for people who do online mailing versus bringing your items into the post office. I was able to save some change on the mailing and was once again very thankful for my handy little postal scale.

Ethan had his holiday show where he sang a beautiful song about snowpants and a song about special, special,special me. He invited Ryan & I to come to his show where he would “dress up fancy and sing special songs.” He was so proud of his song and to give our cozy holiday gift (tucked in a reusable bag) to his teacher. We celebrated his special, special, special performance with a budget-friendly Junior Frosty from Wendy’s.

Instead of our holiday photo books this year, I decided to make a DVD of our year for each set of the grandparents. I set it all to holiday music and sent it off to our out-of-town relatives with a message for each of them about how special they were. Shipping costs were greatly reduced and it is something that they can view over and over again or share with their friends.

What is your proudest thrifty holiday idea this year? Did you do anything out of the ordinary to save a buck? Please share!

Making Simple Holiday Memories

Wednesday, December 17th, 2008


Usually I am in high mode for the holiday season. I have books wrapped for a holiday countdown, a jar of activities for the kids, a high maintenance photo session for the family, and am a ball of nerves.

This year, our efforts were focused on our Big Give which created less space and time for my usual flurry for the holidays. My family members have been in and out of the hospital, some of my family are without work or are having a hard time financially, and it has flipped a switch in me.

Don’t get me wrong, we are still doing things, but it is low-key and as we please. The photo session moved to our house this year as we decorated our tree and cookies. Our gift-giving was considerably scaled back and rather than my scheduled activities, we have just done things when we want to.

I have given myself permission to have a simple Christmas this year. I have given myself permission to make homemade gifts when I might have bought them. I have let my kids decorate the tree without fixing it. I have put out some decorations, but didn’t buy new ones. I didn’t participate in a cookie exchange and made cookies just for ourselves. I shopped online and allowed myself the pleasure of completely avoiding the mall this year. I wrapped gifts, but I wrapped with what we had on hand and kept it simple.

The hot cocoa is still flowing, the holiday lights are still enjoyed as we drive through the neighborhoods, the holiday music is still fa-la-laing. It is still as grand as ever.

And my holiday…well, it is still filled with unbelievable joy and tradition. And dare I say it? Peace. Just a little of that too.

Tradition & Togetherness. That is what it is all about, my friends.

xoxoxo,
Amy

(photo source: Brittani Renee Photography)

A Sneak Peek- The Clark Family Christmas Photo

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008


I spent the day making Christmas cookies, tidying the house, and getting our ornaments ready. The evening was spent decorating the tree and cookies, but we invited a special friend to join us. Brittani Renee came with her camera, armed with ornaments for the kids to hang, and a sweet smile that even melted our shy Emily’s exterior. The fun ensued although the posing pictures still require a lot of effort on our part. A promise of cookies and silly faces from the two of us to hold her in her place. We got our shots and can’t wait to see the rest.

She still has appointments available- visit her site and tell her we sent you. She will throw in a free gift for our readers.

I have only gotten one photo so far, but I know we made the best choice. Thanks to Michelle for the referral AND the beautiful dress for our Emily. Now that is a true friend, I tell you!