Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet? Traveling with kids can make even the sanest of parents feel like they are quickly going bananas. I even find myself leaning over to my husband and asking him, “Are we there yet?”

The trick to traveling with children is to be prepared. Know what your kids are interested in and make sure you bring activities that will keep their attention and are age appropriate. My children are both toddlers so I’m going to focus on what to do for toddlers.

My last trip I was actually over prepared for and I recommend you do the same. You never know when you’re going to get stuck somewhere unexpected overnight and that’s just what happened to us. Luckily, I had plenty of activities and snacks on us. Here are a few suggestions on how to be prepared.

• Let the kids pick out a backpack with wheels. Having wheels on it allows them to be able to pull it or wear it, depending on what they feel like. Pick out coloring books, lacing toys, crayons, markers, travel puzzles and put them in the back packs. Have lots of different short activities they can do in their laps. Let them pick out some toys as well and have them add them to the bags. Giving your children choices and letting them help in the packing process makes them feel important and valuable. I’ve found that giving them the choice also makes them a lot more persuadable. 
• Choose healthy snacks that make little to no mess, dried fruit, freeze dried fruit, drinkable applesauce, crisps and crackers to name a few. Keep an extra bag in your purse so you can collect the garbage. Grab some reusable drink containers and put them in their bags as well. We drink a lot of water and the kids like to be able to get it out of their own bags.
• I keep snacks, napkins, and baby wipes in my bag along with an extra set of clothes, diapers and pull ups. Even if you have a potty trained child, you might consider putting them in a pull up during a long flight. We did this with Zoe, turned out we made it without any accidents but I know if I had not been so prepared, we would have been wet.
• One last tip would be to bring something very familiar to them. We brought special pillow cases with us on our last trip. That way, no matter where we ended up sleeping it still felt a little like home to them. The pillow cases helped make a huge difference from one trip to another.

By Guest Blogger Louise from MomStart

Thinking about getting a dog?

Children and dogs go together like peanut butter and jelly. And for mom and dad it’s a big gooey mess. We recently got a new dog, a chocolate lab and boy is she precious, but I wasn’t sure I was going to survive those first few weeks.

Having an untrained puppy is like having a newborn all over again. You have to get up in the middle of the night and let them out so they don’t have an accident, unless you are crate training them and then well, be prepared to be giving the dog a bath and wash the crate. The accidents drove me crazy, the kids yelling, “she bite me mommy” drove me crazy, the kids stepping in the P drove me crazy, having to walk her when the kids hate walking drove me crazy. I felt like I was herding a bunch of cats because every one of my three children (the third being the dog) was going in a different direction and we weren’t making any progress on the walk. Every activity involving all of them felt like this, come to think about it.

Now that I’ve convinced you to not get a dog with toddlers, let me tell you how to handle getting a dog with toddlers.

One, pick out a smart dog, certain breeds are smarter than others and learn faster. Do your research.

Two, pick out a family breed, certain breeds are more family friendly than others. Know what your dog’s purpose is going to be. We wanted an active family dog, so we got a chocolate lab, they are gentle, large smart dogs that learn quickly and protect their family.

Three, train the dog and not the kids. This was my vet’s advice. He said it would be much quicker to train the dog, that she is a dog and that the kids are not her playmates instead of teaching the kids. I still have to keep them from pulling her body parts, dragging her across the room, and playing tug of war. One way to teach the dog that the kids are more important is to keep her off of the couch when the kids are on it. She learns that she is at the bottom of the pecking order and this is an important lesson for her to learn.

Four, don’t give up on your dog in the first three weeks. I wanted to, but I survived and so can you. Once you get past the first six months (depending on the breed it can be soooner) it's peanut butter and jelly!

By Guest Blogger Louise Bishop from MomStart.com

I was on the beach with my parents when I was around 13 years old and they were talking as if they were one of the crabs. We were all having fun and everything was relaxed and they were using a few explicatives. I repeated exactly what they said and all the sudden, I was in trouble and everyone was in a bad mood. Why? Because I said a swear word and I shouldn’t have. I never cuss! So if you have kids that cuss my first piece of advice would be to be a good example! If you don’t want your kids cussing then don’t cuss in front of them. I have some friends that are working on this issue and wanted to share some of the ways to deal with the big potty mouth in your house.

Set Boundaries – Make sure the rules in your house are clear. Then be prepared with a consequence for when they do not follow the rule. Make sure you do follow through and show consistency as a parent.

The Swear Jar – I think everyone has heard of the swear jar. Use the Swear jar as a way to save up for something special for the family. Every time anyone in the house swears throw a dollar into the jar.

In Home Rules – I’ve seen that some families have different rules for inside the house verses outside the house. This is not my preferred method but if you really feel that boys will be boys (this goes for girls too) then by all means; let them swear in the house and not in public.

Provide an alternative phrase – This one was new to me and really liked by a friend of mine who has a teenager. Provide something fun for them to say that still sounds like it’s about to be something bad. For Example.. Say “Shut the Front Door” really loud at them. Tell them that’s ok for them to say, but the alternative is not.

Over Reaction can be a bad reaction – For younger children like my own, ignoring the situation is sometimes the best way to deal with it. When you give them a lot of attention over a phrase then they are sure to keep repeating it because they want that attention. Of course, you still need to find a way to tell them it was wrong, just be careful to not overdo it.

Communicate – When all else fails sit down and have a heart to heart with your child. Communication is key to having a good solid relationship with your child. Cussing may be a way of acting out and they simply want or need your attention. Discuss what the underlying issue might be and see if that curbs the cussing.

By guest blogger Louise Bishop, MomStart

My daughter never attached herself to anything like a pacifier or a blankie but my son completely loves his blankie. It’s not even a blankie really; it’s a receiving blanket, the kind you can purchase about six of in a single package. He’s never been picky about color but he takes it everywhere and we count on it for emergencies, but is it time to say good bye?

I’ve been talking to friends and other experts on how to help your child say goodbye to their luvie, snuggie or pacifier and these are a few of the things I learned.

Weaning! Making your child go all day long without something is a great way to start. Use distractions during the day whenever they ask for it. Diverting a child’s attention is the best way to discipline and get them away from tears. So take the day time first then move to night time. Of course, you can always just go cold turkey and listen to the tears for a few days.

The Fairy! Many families take this approach. Tell your child a story about the pacifier fairy that comes and collects pacifiers. Explain to them that they are big boy or girl now and that the pacifier fairy takes the pacifiers on to other children that need them and in exchange the pacifier fairy will bring them a special prize. They have to actually make the decision to give up their luvie in exchange for a treat. You know what motivates your child.

The Bed! This was a new idea that I had never heard of before. You and your child should sit down together and make a little bed for your child’s luvie or pacifier. Make the bed like a box so you can close it or cover it with a blanket, letting your child decorate it completely. As you are decorating and building the box explain to them what the box is for. Then at bed time, tell them it’s time to put their luvie to bed. They may not do it the first night, and it’s not the answer for everyone, but it does work. They get to tuck in their luvie into its own bed.

By guest blogger  Louise Bishop, MomStart

The heat you feel as you watch your child pull the toilet paper roll off the wall and then proceed to run though the house with it after managing to get parts of it wet is enough to make any mom go crazy. I try to stay calm by taking a deep breath or counting to 10, but my children know my pressure points. They push me to my breaking point so I have to make sure that I take care of myself and so should you.

Two major ways to keep your cool:

One, remember to parent out of love and not anger. When I discipline my children while I’m angry nothing gets resolved. They just feed off of my yelling and they yell and cry even more. When I remember to stay calm and talk to them on their level the problem is usually resolved and we’re all able to get back to playing and laughing together much quicker. Have a happy thought about your child that you can use to draw positive energy off of. Take a deep breath, count to ten or walk away for a moment and come back to them when you are calmer. Look them in the eye once you are calm and talk to them and not at them. I’ve discovered my son listens much better when I come down to his eye level and speak calmly to him. All other attempts are like talking to a brick wall.

Two, every mommy needs a mom’s time out. I’m very guilty as a parent of forgetting to take care of myself but I always feel like a million bucks after I take a few moments to refresh and recharge. Ask for help! Many cultures say, “It takes a village to raise a child” and it is so true. Get a baby sitter, do a child swap but give your child to someone else for a few hours. Even if it is just your spouse or the grandparents! Then use that time to do something you enjoy.

Ten things I like to do with my alone time:

Take a bath
Eat some chocolate
Drink some wine
Watch a movie
Read a book
Go Shopping
Read a blog
Write a post
Go Out with Friends
Scrapbook

By guest blogger Louise Bishop, MomStart

Back to school is on everyone’s mind as all of the stores are promoting school supplies and clothing sales. As a parent maybe you have signed up to take a turn as snack time mom or I remember coming home from school I was always hungry. Thinking of my kids, I’m always looking for the healthier option for snack time. By cutting out sugar or finding tings low in sugar snack time remains a healthy time. Here are a few ideas on how to keep snack time creative and healthy.

Freeze your yogurt cups. Yogurt can be frozen for up to about a year. You’ll want to check on that and verify with specific brands websites. Pull them out of the freezer and serve them, the texture is a little different but it’s like eating ice cream to the kids.

Serve Popcorn on a string. Popcorn is a very healthy low-fat snack when you leave off all the butter and salt and what child can resist pulling off one piece at a time or eating it like a necklace.

Make Ants on a log. Cut up celery about four inches in length and then slater on some peanut butter, soy butter or apple butter depending on preferences and allergies, then top with a few raisins.

Homemade/semi-homemade granola is easier than you think. Of course you can mix up some rolled oats, nuts and whatever else you like in your granola use a little butter and syrup to make it sticky and bake it until it is golden brown, or just put the pieces together of pre-made items like I do. I like to buy a few flavors of dried fruit, pre-made granola, cheerios, and add a few chocolate chips.

Cut and create Fresh Fruit Cones. Serve up some fresh fruit in an ice cream cone. Cut up pieces of fruit, or if you’re like me just buy a container of already cut up fruit from the grocery store. You might have to make some of the pieces smaller to fit in the ice cream cone but the smile on your kids face will make it all worth it.

By guest blogger, Louise Bishop,