How to Make a Bad Guy: a tutorial for Moms with Boys

This is a little "How To" for moms with boys. Especially boys who like Superheroes and fighting "bad guys." In my house, there are LOTS of "bad guys" and Jack has an inherent need to fight them. I'm pretty sure this is just built right into boy DNA. Unfortunately for Josie, she is usually on the receiving end of the fight. So last week - after I'd had just about all the "bad guy fighting" I could take... I came up with a solution. I made a Bad Guy. Here's how:

1. Find a cardboard box. We always have plenty of these lying around thanks to our addiction to Amazon. The box above was from our latest order of dog food (yes, I'm THAT lazy).

2. Tell your little superhero to wait. This might be the hardest step. See Jack? He's asking, "One more minute, Mommy?"

3. Find some paper and draw a Bad Guy face. Give him a mean mug. Jack requested red eyes.

 4. Add a construction paper shirt (we went with the "prison" look) and give him a name. Our Bad Guy is "Bart."

5. Turn your Superhero loose on the Bad Guy and stay out of the way. Also - you may want to keep tape nearby, as you may be called on for some repairs.

6. {THIS IS A NEW ADDITION & Optional} Jack recently heard the song, "The Final Countdown" by Europe. So now he requests we play that song as he is fighting the Bad Guy. Go ahead and take a second to imagine this...it's hilarious.

Josie approves and is grateful that Bart has stepped in to alleviate her duties as the Bad Guy. She watches from the sidelines and cheers Jack on...like a supportive sister.

**We don't condone violence in our home - however, boys really like to hit things. As you know, if he's not hitting Bart - Jack also likes to hit home runs.

Toddler Art - Couch Edition

I mentioned the other day - Jack's affinity for "ink." Well, he decided to make some "art" on our couch a few weekends ago. I was NOT a happy mommy. Thankfully, the internet AND my Aunt Suzie came to the rescue. Both said that rubbing alcohol would take ink off micro-fiber. 

Jack's "tool" of choice was a ball-point pen - but my Aunt Suzie recently had her couch vandalized decorated by my cousin's son, Elliott (aka: an older version of Jack), with a SHARPIE! And she said rubbing alcohol took it out perfectly.

So - if you have a toddler, know a toddler, or think a toddler may try to "spruce up" your couch someday - go ahead and invest (a whole dollar) in some rubbing alcohol! I'm telling you… IT'S MAGIC!

Treasure Hunt Snack Mix

Before Josie was born - I stressed about how I would take TWO kids out in public without losing one of them and/or my mind. As everyone knows Jack is a runner. He's an active boy and sitting in a cart while I decide if I want Gala or Macintosh apples - well, he doesn't have the patience for that. So I devised a plan and I've been using it for a few weeks now - successfully, I might add.

I give credit for this idea to my friend, Julia (she has no idea she gave me this idea - thanks, Julia!).  Anyway - one day I saw her give her boys a mix of items in a bag for a snack…and the lightbulb went off. If I go shopping during snack time - he'll sit and eat. BUT - if I make his snack interesting, then it will take him longer to eat it.

So basically, I make a "Treasure Hunt Snack Mix" for him and he LOVES it! I mix a handful of 4-5 of the items below into a bag or bowl.

Here are some of the basic foods I've used:
- cereals (whatever we have: cheerios, life, chex)
- nuts
- raisins (regular & yogurt covered)
- popcorn
- goldfish
- oyster crackers
- craisens

Then I always add some "Bonus" treats like:
- chocolate chips
- M&Ms
- marshmallows
- jelly beans

He loves looking for his favorite foods first (usually the chocolate, because he is his mama's son), then he moves on to the other snacks. It's quick, easy, and it definitely holds his attention for a shopping trip. Try it out…and let me know if you have other snacks that would work well for this!

HELP WANTED

I'm at my wits end with Jack. He woke up today around 6am and made his way downstairs... So that's problem #1. A toddler roaming through the house unattended - never good. A Jack roaming through the house unattended - HORRIBLE! So I put a childproof door handle on the inside of his room.

As I type - he is rattling the handle. He won't stay in his crib and I've had enough.  Tyson seems to think he is ready for a toddler bed/twin bed - but I'm not so sure. I have a feeling he will never stay in bed and everyone will lose sleep.

We ordered a new video monitor - that we will be able to view through our iPhones. Awesome technology, but still not a solution to keeping him IN his bed.

I found this on Amazon:

...and I am seriously considering ordering it. It's not safe for him to be able to climb out of the crib all the time. And it's especially not safe for him to be out of the crib unattended. Moms - PLEASE HELP! Your advice is welcome...because I'm not sure how to deal with him. And he definitely needs his sleep.

Mommy Advice

Photo Credit

My college roommate, Tory, is having a baby soon (along with almost every other person I know). Tory's sister sent me an advice card to help Tory "Achieve Baby Bliss."  I took a few days to think about the best advice to give her.  When you're pregnant you get ALL KINDS of advice and "words of wisdom." Sometimes from complete strangers at Target - "Thank you, Gertrude."


Since I know we have many pregnant blog readers - {HI!} - I thought I would compile my list and add some advice from my Mommy Blogger friends.  We aren't necessarily "veterans" but we have been down this road and we have all had different experiences!


Kady's Advice:

• Stay laid back and easy going! It will be passed on to your baby.
• Babies cry and toddlers throw fits. It's a guarantee. Perfect your "stink-eye" for idiots that don't understand this.
• Remember to make time for yourself. It will re-energize you and make you feel like a better mommy. 
• Take time to find a good, reliable babysitter (even if you live by family!!) - they're worth every penny!
• Try to peek in on your sleeping baby/child every night.  After long days - with lots of "no-no's", crying, and time-out's - it will remind you how much you love your child AND it's just nice to see him/her NOT moving

Brooke's Advice (from Little Jakobsen) mommy to Molly - 22 months:

• Distractions, distractions, distractions. This is more helpful when the child gets older, but always have a Plan B (and C, and D)
• I suggest starting to lift weights with your left arm to bulk it up. Otherwise, after a few months of baby carrying, your body will look more like Popeye
• Sleep when the baby sleeps. Best advice ever!
• Stash snacks everywhere - your purse/diaper bag, the car, the stroller...(see distractions)

Kate's advice (from Expanding Erdels) mommy to Audrey - 4 months:

• Make decisions about how you plan to handle important child-rearing issues before you have to actually handle them.  Share your decisions with your in-laws and parents before they have to handle them.  Get everyone on the same page ahead of time.  Stick to your guns and be confident in your decision.  You can always change your mind later if what you decided doesn't work for you or your child.
• Read as much as you can before your child is born about the first year.  Equip yourself with tools for how to handle things like excessive crying and sleep issues.  That way, when the crying won't stop or the baby won't sleep and you are exhausted and at your wit's end, you will have something to try that you don't have to think very hard about.
• Just because something doesn't appeal to your child the first time you try it, doesn't mean that they won't love it a few days or weeks later.  Example - my daughter hated her swing the first few times I put her in it.  So, I gave up on it and it collected dust.  But, when I tried it, out of desperation, a few weeks later, she loved it and calmed right down.

Carrie's Advice (from Buckets & Birdies) mommy to Greta - 4 months:

• Don't be afraid of generic baby products.  I LOVE Walmart wipes and diapers.
• Don't feel guilty about rocking/holding/kissing your baby too much.  There is NO such thing as too much affection.  (Some lady told me that too much affection makes for a clingy baby.  She had a fat [butt] and bad highlights.  Clearly, I did not take her advice.)
• Take one day as it comes.  I thought by the time my baby was 3months old, I'd be back to my pre-baby weight.  Don't read People magazine about some celebrity that is back to a size 0, two weeks after her baby was born.  She is an alien and totally not normal.  It took 9 months to gain 40 pounds and it is going to take longer than 2 weeks to lose it.
• Don't feel guilty about leaving your child with a sitter/relative for a few hours to get a manicure.  The moms that don't do anything for themselves, well, they usually are a hot mess.

Becky's Advice (from Naptime Confessional) mommy to Lia - 20 months:

• Create open play experiences and do them too! Trust me, a tuperware filled with oats/water/rice and a few cups and spoons (or scoops as Lia calls them) can save your sanity. Don't get me started about 'pom poms' you buy at the craft store in a bag of 100 for about a $1. Lia loves to carry them, put them into and take out of a paper sack, walk around calling them "little bitty balls." Dump a bag of glow sticks in the tub. Give her pipe cleaners and a strainer to poke them into. No need for an expensive play house, Lia loves her painted cardboard box. It's not about the Pottery Barn horse, although I'd love to have it. It's about the experience.
• Let go and give in sometimes. Picture a vacation potty break, getting stuck in the rain under a tiny awning with a wiggly little toddler who wanted more than anything to play in that water. Imagine my husband's face when I said, strip her down and let her go. I think he asked me if I was really serious about twenty times. It was vacation, it was warm, it would make her happy, she was wiggly, she was whiney, I had spare clothes...why not! Everyone should dance in the rain at least once right? So let her run around in the rain, paint her entire body if she wants to, hop in the muddy puddles, dig in the dirt. You will remember the joy and no matter what the clean up, it's worth it. 
• Start manners early. There is nothing cuter than hearing please, thank you, your welcome, or bless you from a one year old. And be prepared to give that child anything asked for when that cute little "puh-leez" come out because you won't be able to resist!
• Choose your battles. She wants to wear a cape and plastic fireman hat to the grocery store, fine. Maybe later it won't seem so bad when you have to make her wear a diaper instead of run naked.