Can You Hear Me Now?

Where are the toys?

Where are the cool toys this year?  I thought I was the only one thinking that there were no cool toys out this Christmas - it seems I'm not alone.  I first noticed this problem when my youngest was going through her Toys R' Us catalog and was having a hard time finding things she liked.  What's up?

All out of "nice"

I applaud Kristen for letting it all hang out.  Don't we all have these same thoughts?  I often find that being "nice" , all the time, is extremely tiring don't you?

Vibrating Soap

Soap that vibrates?  I wasn't sure what category to put this one in, there may be some adult out there who would get a kick out of this.  I see a stocking stuffer!

When should kids stay home?

All parents have come across the question, "should my kid stay home today?"  Most of the time it is an easy decision - fever, vomiting, etc.  It gets tough when you start talking runny noses and teary eyes.  The schools around here don't want the kids to come if their noses are runny - the problem with that is when you live in a cold climate like we do, infants and toddlers ALWAYS have runny noses.  I think there are 2 kinds of parents on this issue.  Those who put their kids first and those who don't.

School Bus Injuries

I totally believe this report on school bus injuries.  Just the other day my daughter said she hit her head when the bus hit a bump.

Puberty at 5 years old

Girls hitting puberty at 5 years old?  That is scary crazy.  I had a hard enough time with my 11 year old much less a 5 year old.  Now is seems that in this one case there was an underlying cause but that isn't always the case.  I remember having trouble dealing with my own period and I was 12 - how in the world do you teach someone so young to take care of themselves?  I have also heard that weight has a whole lot to do with when puberty starts - usually when the girl hits around 100 pounds.  With kids eating fattier foods, they tend to hit this target weight earlier

Teens & Clothes - Too Sexy?

My daughter and I have been having the timeless mother-daughter clothing arguments here and there this past year.  Our main problem has been with skirts.  All of her skirts are too short - they are barely school legal and even then it's because she pulls them down as far as possible.  The problem isn't with my daughter, it's with the people designing and producing these clothes.  We have scoured the stores looking for skirts that aren't too short or too long.  So far we haven't found anything that works or if we have the price was outrageous.  As far as the provocative t-shirts, we have a couple that are very mild and have only been worn a few times in 2 years.  This year her school has added them to the "don't wear" category. 

School Lunches

I have been disgusted with public school lunches since I was in school.  I'm not a health nut (far from it) but I do have a HUGE problem with the kinds of foods served.  Here are a couple of examples of what our school system considers an appropriate lunch:  Mozzarella cheese sticks (main dish!) Italian bread sticks - basically cheese bread (main dish!)  mac & cheese, corn and sherbet - starch, starch & sugar.  Anyone find these healthy?   

Tickle Me Elmo

I have 2 daughters (5 years apart in age) who are each claiming our Tickle Me Elmo as thiers.  He "belongs" to my oldest daughter but she never played with him so it was given to my youngest many years ago.  He's been in the closet for years and was recently brought out.  My oldest laid claim to him again but that didn't sit will with the youngest simply because if her sister wanted it, she wanted it.  My oldest had Elmo for a few weeks but when I was putting some stuff away in my youngest's closet - I saw Elmo crammed in the bottom - she was hiding it!  Too funny.  So, Elmo is back in the closet and no one is using him.  Poor Elmo. 

Baby Hair Diamonds?

Science is cool but owning a diamond made out of your baby's hair is just weird.