Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well.
My oldest daughter has her first wiggly tooth.
I thought that was supposed to happen around the age of 6.
Oh wait, she’s turning 6. In June. Of this year.
Time really does fly.
PLEASE slow down a bit.
😦
Take good care all.
Until next time…
http://www.canadianfamily.ca/kids/pregnancy/your-childs-loose-tooth/
Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. Yesterday, it happened! I’ve heard stories about this, but didn’t think that it was going to happen for a while, but yesterday it did. It went down in the Mercado household. My daughter wrote her first “I’m mad at you” note to her little sister! It’s not funny, (but it actually is a tiny bit) because my daughter was serious. They were playing in our hallway, but then little sis didn’t want to listen to big sis so she went into her room furious. A couple of minutes later you heard big sis asking us, “How do you spell blah, blah, blah?” My husband and I were in the kitchen and we looked at each other and said, “Uh oh.” He went off to assist her. A few minutes later, my serious daughter came into the kitchen and handed me this:
These words convey so much emotion (that’s why technically it’s not funny, but I did giggle to myself in private because it’s amazing how she thought about doing this on her own, writing out her feelings) and her drawings as she explained to me were of herself and her little sister, sad and crying. She was sad and crying because little sis didn’t want to listen to her and little sis was sad and crying because she didn’t want to listen to big sis. I’m simply astounded with my daughter and how she felt it necessary to let her sister know exactly what she was feeling, even though little sis can’t read at the moment. She just wanted to get her point across because as she tells me, “she has to listen to me because I’m the big sister.” RESPECT! Of course I HAD to take a picture of her note so she can see it in the future and hopefully laugh about it and little sis can finally read it in case it gets misplaced. Everyday is something new, whether a funny or serious sentence is said or written. I love this part of parenthood. The little, but meaningful surprises that children gift us.
Take good care all.
Until next time…
Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well.
Not so long ago, my daughter uttered two words that sent chills down my back as well as my husbands’. They weren’t good chills and the words that she said were Justin Bieber. Ugh! She’s five years old. Why is she inquiring about him? Well, she told me that her friends at school watched him on TV. I simply told her that they were watching him because he was a singer and left it at that. Yes, she’s curious, but I don’t want her in the realm of these young teen celebrity’s shenanigans. I don’t want her screaming her head off and crying her eyes out in admiration for someone. That drives me nuts when I see little girls doing that. It’s just not age appropriate and we as parents have to understand that they only have one childhood. Why would you want to take that away from them?
Just like a toy that has age guidelines that we should adhere to, we should do the same when it comes to entertainment. I don’t want her to know about One Direction, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, etc. She’s five. Yes, they got the Gangnam style fever only because we introduced it to them so we have to really think about what we want to expose our children to. Yesterday, I had a conversation about this with my daughter’s teacher at school. It was parent/teacher night. My daughter’s report card was excellent and I’m very proud of her. She has advanced in several subjects and her teacher mentioned how she shows a great interest in reading and writing. I wish we had more time to speak because her teacher mentioned how parents are their children’s first teachers. I told her that I had written that same comment on my blog and felt wholeheartedly that we have to teach them, but also try to keep them young and not advance them too much where they lose their innocence. We, as a whole society, need to see this and understand it. It’s for our children’s benefit.
Even a manicure, for example, which my daughter has been asking to do, may seem like a small matter, no big deal for some, but it is a big deal for me. I feel she’s still too young for that and I know that there are toddlers out there wobbling around with little pink nails, but that’s their parent’s choice and just because that child has painted nails doesn’t mean that I have to paint my daughter’s nails as well. I have my own opinion, my own view and I know what’s right for my child at this moment. Once you open that door, even just a sliver, into adulthood, you can’t go back. I don’t want my daughter singing a Justin Bieber song. I want to hear her singing, the “Star, Spangled Banner” and “America, the beautiful”, which she’s currently singing and beautifully, I might add, because she learned them in school. That’s what she’s supposed to be singing as well as silly songs that her teacher has taught her. I have nothing against the above mentioned celebrities. I just want to protect my child and let her enjoy her childhood. I know, believe me I know that one day she’s going to grow up and enter that world, it’s just not going to be today!
I gifted my daughter this book, pen, and eraser at her school’s book fair for her wonderful report card. She picked everything out and was very happy.
Take good care all.
Until next time…
Hello everybody!
I hope you guys are well.
I want to talk about guilt. Nowadays, I feel guilty pretty much about anything. Yesterday, I felt guilty because my daughter wasn’t feeling well and I was trying my best to make her better. Plus, she was missing school. Now today, she’s still missing school. We didn’t make it. There’s a snowstorm outside and I was determined to take her to school because she woke up feeling better. I was fortunate enough to be able to leave my youngest with my friend downstairs. We made it halfway to the school before my daughter tripped and fell, body forward, on wet snow. I was even holding her hand at the time, but she still fell over and her pants and coat got completely drenched. I couldn’t take her to school and leave her like that. I would be at home feeling guilty as heck because her pants were soaking wet and who knows how long it would have taken to dry. We had to turn around and go back home and once we did, with time ticking away making us late for school and my friend not being able to stay longer with my youngest, I made the decision to stay home.
Guilt.
It squats in my mind and travels down and pangs at my heart repeatedly. I try to brush it off. I tell myself, “It happens to a lot of people. It’s not the end of the world.” But even if I let it go, it only last for mere seconds and then I’m right back to feeling guilty. So I try to figure out why the guilt? Well, in this instance, it’s because other kids made it to school, in the snowstorm. Other parents were able to take their children, in the snowstorm. I failed. That’s how I feel at the moment. I can definitely wallow in it, but I really don’t want to so instead I go online and print out several worksheets for my daughter to work on at home. We also read books and we practice her sight words. It’s the least that I can do and I always include these worksheets in her folder so her teacher can see them. This makes me feel better, but the guilt is always going to be there. It’s part of being a mom. I don’t particularly like it and I wish that I could just switch it off in my brain, but it’s just not who I am. I wish things could fall into place perfectly. Wishful thinking, I know, but then maybe guilt wouldn’t seep in. Or does guilt serve a purpose? I don’t know. I just want the best for my daughter and I don’t want to fail her. It is my responsibility to take good care of her and make sure that she’s in school learning. I don’t want to mess her future up so since I can’t do away with guilt completely, I can at least try to give it all I’ve got and when things just don’t work out, find ways to calm the guilt down and know in my heart that it’s ok.
It’s really ok.
Take good care all.
Until next time…
Hello everybody. I hope you guys are well.
I currently have two cute, snot faces at home.
Here we go again, and again, and yup, again. My oldest is miserable because she’s missing school and her nose and upper lip are red and swollen from blowing and wiping away boogers. Fun times! When will this insanity end? We’ve been sick before, but this is ridiculous. We’ve even been to the pediatrician twice! I’m giving medicine every four hours, applying Vick’s vapor rub, going through numerous tissue boxes, and the current phrase being declared in the house every ten minutes is, “I have boogies!”
I’m also very conflicted with the fact that I’m keeping her home from school. I hate that she’s missing her lessons, but at the same time I don’t want her to be miserable and spreading germs in her class. She knows how to fully blow and wipe her nose, but as soon as she steps into school she starts doing things differently like blowing softy into the tissue and constantly wiping at her nose, hence why when I went to pick her up yesterday (mind you she didn’t leave the house with a runny nose in the morning and I was shocked to see how she looked in the afternoon) her nose and upper lip were RAW. Today, she woke up the same way and I thought it best to let her clear out as much boogies as she can at home. It’s amazing how much keeps coming out and I can’t see the light at the end of the snot tunnel. How much can there be left?
My youngest is faring better. She doesn’t let a stuffed up or runny nose stop her from playing, torturing her sister, ignoring my demands to stop making a mess, or sleeping. She’s currently walking around the house with her magnifying glass telling me that she’s looking for dinosaur footprints. I just want to scoop her up and give her a thousand kisses, but I don’t want to get sick again, or in my case, again!!
Here’s hoping that I can QUIT writing about us being sick (please!) and banish all yucky snot away from my household.
Take good care all.
Until next time…
http://pinterest.com/vanmirk/cuddly-rigor-mortis/
Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well.
Before and after my daughter entered Kindergarten, I was informed by friends and family members that I should prepare myself for the numerous of germs that she was going to start bringing home. My husband and I shuddered at this fact. Shuddered! We knew and hated that this was going to happen and there’s nothing we can do about it. I try my best to teach and remind my daughter to wash her hands as many times as possible in school, especially after using the restroom and before eating lunch. I also tell her to steer clear from any kids who are coughing their brains out without covering their mouths. The germs and the viruses still prevail though.
Yesterday evening, my husband noticed that our daughter’s eye was kind of pinkish. He asked, “Is that pink eye?” and I immediately thought “What? Noooooooo.” I took a look and yup, her eye was pinkish and I knew. He knew. We knew. It was pink eye. “Maybe she rubbed her eye too hard,” my husband said. “Maybe,” I replied. “Let’s see how she wakes up in the morning.”
Guess what?
It’s pink (freaking) eye. Of course, she stayed home from school, which is no problem, and we’re seeing the doctor, just in case, but darn those viruses and germs. They’ll get you no matter what. Since pink eye is contagious, I was curious to see if there were some home remedies for it online and came across a blog post (www.adailydoseofgrace.com/2012/02/coconut-oil-and-pink-eye.html) where coconut oil was used to help with the discomfort. On YouTube, there are several videos with people testing out remedies using lemon juice (ouch!), eating garlic cloves, honey, etc. to cure their pink eyes. My daughter hasn’t complained about her eye once and it’s not producing any mucus so I haven’t tried any of these home remedies on her. Plus, I’m a little too scared of dropping anything into her little eyeball or making her eat something that won’t go down well. I’ll save the experimentation for myself if I happen to catch anything, which I hope not to. Fingers (constantly washed) crossed.
Take good care all.
Until next time…
Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well.
I believe wholeheartedly that a consistent routine does work with children and if you implement it early, your children will get used to it and it’ll become the norm. I know that this information is not new, but just in case, there’s someone out there asking, “Does this really work?” I’m here to say that it does. I’m always being asked, “How do you get your children to bed at a reasonable hour?” and “How did you get them to eat and love vegetables and fruits?” My constant answer to those questions and many more is, “We introduced things at an early age and we made it a routine.” Once you make a routine you have to be consistent about it and try your very best not to break it, even if you’re on vacation. My children are used to taking a bath at 8 pm, brushing their teeth afterwards, putting their pajamas on and hopping into bed to go to sleep. Hugs and kisses are given out; well wishes for good dreams are said along with a see you in the morning. Then, lights out! Even while we’re away from home, we stick to the routine because they’re already used to it and it’s beneficial for their little bodies to have adequate time to rest. If they’re running around way past midnight, not only are they going to be tired and cranky in the morning (if they can’t sleep in), but so are you. I’m cranky enough in the morning, I don’t need to be more and my husband will second that. 🙂
Introducing vegetables and fruits early on instead of later is obviously healthy and you’ll PROBABLY have fewer arguments. Vegetables like broccoli and spinach are hard to introduce to a child when they’re around four or five so it’s best to do it once a child can safely start eating solids. My two and a half-year old loves broccoli and she actually proclaims it out loud, which is very funny during dinnertime. She may have days where she doesn’t want to eat it so I give her something else like tomatoes. You have to mix things up and please don’t give up. I know firsthand that it’s hard and I will admit that I have thrown in the towel several times. Fortunately for me, I have a backup plan and that’s my husband who takes over when I need a break. It’s true when they say, “just because they don’t like it one day, doesn’t mean they won’t like it another day.” I send my daughter to school with a small container of veggies and a small container of fruits in her lunch bag along with her main dish. It is my responsibility to send her to school with a healthy lunch. I also include a small snack that she enjoys and as for her drink, we alternate days between water and juice. I don’t want to be too strict or even a hypocrite because my coffee in the morning can definitely use a little less sugar. I try my best to balance things out and that’s why I made a choice awhile back to banish soda from my home. So far, so good.
As for good manners, if you make it a habit in saying “please” and “thank you” along with “you’re welcome” and “I’m sorry,” your children will pick up on these words and start repeating them, non-stop. It’s wonderful to hear my youngest say, “good morning,” to me and “excuse me,” when someone is in her way. I loved it when my daughter’s teacher told me that she had exceptional manners during our parent/teacher conference last year. Can you imagine living in a world where everyone practiced good manners? As corny as it may sound, it would be a nice world to live in. We just have to do our part and pass the lessons on to our children.
If you haven’t started a routine or a schedule, start now. It might be hard and take a while, but your child will benefit from knowing what they’re supposed to do and why. They need and will welcome structure in their lives. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s our job to teach our children first. They look up to us. We are their first teachers. Expectant mothers, new moms, guardians, etc. hear and believe me when I say that once your child is tucked in at a consistent time every single night, your time to relax begins every single night as well. So start putting into practice those routines and stay consistent. You’ll never regret it.
Take good care all.
Until next time…
Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. We woke up to another snow day here in Brooklyn, NY, a blizzard named Nemo, and this time there was a lot more snow to play with. You can already imagine the joy in my daughter’s heart when she looked outside and saw everything covered in glorious snow.
Miss Cool Shades
Happy Clam
Making it snow
Here’s my mini snowman!
Here’s what I did to my mini snowman using the app Doodle Buddy on my ipad. Hilarious!!
Time to build a bigger snowman!
Yup, this snowman likes his beer cold!
A family who plays in the snow together, stays together! We had a lot of fun.
Bundle up and take good care all.
Until next time…
Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. I’ve been sorting through my folders and reminiscing with the pages that I have torn out of magazines and saved throughout the years. Hair styles, exercise routines (which I have yet to do 🙂 ), recipes, DIY self-publishing tips, and crafts. Some I kept and some I tossed because I really need to stop holding on to things and try to get some sense of organization among my papers and let’s face it, I’m not doing all of those exercises. Among the pages that I kept though was this one:
This cartoon was featured in the Real Simple magazine, October 2003 issue. As soon as I read it, I tore it out and showed my husband. I told him, “Is that me or what? That’s exactly what I do.” I’m keeping this forever because it’s a mirror image of my writing persona. This cartoon spoke volumes to me back then and it still does now. I keep it for inspiration to do the opposite of it, plus it’s funny.
What inspires you to write?
Take good care all.
Until next time…
Hello everybody! I hope you guys are well. We had our first, quick snowfall of the year in Brooklyn, NY this past Friday night onto Saturday morning. It was a semi-thin blanket of snow, but once it was shoveled to the side there was enough to play with for about a day. My oldest daughter, who loves snow, couldn’t wait to go outside. You could see the anticipation on her face. She kept looking out the window and going on and on that we had to hurry before the snow melted. She was very worried! 🙂
As soon as we were all bundled up, we made our way downstairs and the fun started:
I love how a little bit of snow brings such sheer happiness to Olivia. She kept picking up the snow, which was still soft, and throwing it up in the air. Can you imagine if we lived somewhere where it snowed more? I think she would simply burst. Sophia likes the snow as well, but she starts focusing on her gloves and trying to take them off.
If it’s snowing where you live and you love the snow, happy snow day. If you simply despise it, my regards.
Take good care all.
Until next time…
themercadoproject 