The "Monkey Bar"
I’m pleased to report we’ve survived the 2nd birthday bash and Emmett had a blast.
We had a small turnout which included his best pal Dean as well as two of our neighbor gals who Emmett refers to as “the girls.” It was just the right amount of people so Emmett didn’t feel overwhelmed or too shy.
When I initially decided on the sock monkey theme, I thought it might be hard to find decorations. But once I started searching on etsy.com I found an abundance of choices. I ended up having his invitation created on etsy and was able to score a printable package …
Wyatt had been doing really well eating his solids. He had learned to drink from a sippy cup amazingly quickly, was eating entire jars of baby food, and for the first time ever in his life, was not spitting up. I was thrilled. But then one morning, I walked into Wyatt’s room to wake him up to find sweet potato-colored vomit all over the bed, all over his clothes, and all over him.
At first, I didn’t think much of it. I was grossed out, but I just gave him a bath and moved on. The same thing had happened to Benjamin when he had eaten cauliflower for the first …
I must say that, in my opinion, a license is not always a necessity when scoping out a preschool. There are a few gems out there without a license that operate with a stellar reputation. For example, Ms. Connie’s preschool class at the Emerald Isle Community Center. Decades of experience as an early childhood educator and a heart of gold creates the most loving learning environment I have ever seen. A license in education is a must, but a preschool license issued by the state for the preschool itself, isn’t mandatory in order to operate. Having worked in the office at the community center, I have seen observing psychiatrists leave …
There is nothing like opening up your lunch at the mall with your preschooler, only to be forced to pack it up and rush out without taking a bite. I refer to this very effective weight-loss strategy as the Mom of a Two Year Old Diet.
A well-placed meltdown drove us from our food court lunch date the other day. I blame those little mechanical kid’s cars and trucks and elephants. The temptation was too great. How can a 2 year old sit and eat lunch with those things singing and swaying behind her. Too much fun.
Our favorite (or mine, really) restaurant to visit used to be Chick-Fil-A. Recently, due to …
I’ve seen several articles lately about how, apparently, having three children is the most stressful number. This has me concerned because, well, I’m about to be the parent of three. Not only will I have three kids, but they will all be under the age of three. Should I be worried here?
Honestly, before all this talk about how three kids are the most stressful, I wasn’t worried about it. I had been very stressed at the idea of going from one to two, but that transition ended up being pretty easy. And it made me think that going from two to three wouldn’t be that bad, either. I actually …
As I’ve mentioned before, I work for the Onslow County Partnership for Children.
What you may not know is that one of the great resources we offer to the community is our network of Resource Centers. We’ve been operating three, one at our main office in Jacksonville, one in Richlands, and one in Swansboro, for several years. And we’re now offering a location in Sneads Ferry!
A glimpse at a reading nook at the newly opened Sneads Ferry Resource Center
The Resource Center offers a variety of materials of interest to child care professionals, teachers, parents and agencies who serve young children. They include reference …
Wyatt had his one year checkup last week, and one of my biggest concerns was where we needed to go with his food. His weight has always been on the low side, so the doctor he had been seeing told us to keep him on formula, because it had a higher calorie count than solids. But because of the ridiculous amount of reflux Wyatt has, I’ve been chomping at the bit to put him on solids and off the bottle.
When I made Wyatt’s appointment, I made sure to ask to see a different doctor this time — I wanted a second opinion. Wyatt’s weight was low, but he has …
Benjamin loves to play outside. I don’t know that there’s anything he really enjoys more. I don’t even need to give him toys — we can just go out into the front yard, and he’s immediately entertained. He could play outside for hours if I let him. We go outside every day, Ben, Wyatt and I. I sit on the porch and relax, Wyatt hangs out in his bouncer chair, and Ben has a blast just running around and having fun. It’s basically our afternoon staple.
In some way, I think it helps keep Ben from going a little stir-crazy on days that we don’t go anywhere. I imagine that …
The time is drawing near for my buglet to attend preschool. Many churches and other organizations offer programs for children as young as two. Lots of these places call these preschools “Mom’s Morning Out” and usually operate for a few hours 2-3 days a week. If you are lucky enough to have your child enrolled in a stellar daycare, the “school” part is already engrained in their daily schedule. Color me jealous.
I work with Lily on various things she should be introduced to as a growing toddler since I am home with her most of the day, but there are very important things she must learn before enrolling in Kindergarten …
I’ve been a big fan of Camp Lejeune’s Child Development Centers (CDCs). If I have something to do, and they have an opening, I’ll enthusiastically put the kids in the CDC. They get fed, they do educational things, they get to play outside and with other kids. I’ve pretty much loved it there.
We’ve also been enthusiastic patrons of their Saturday night care service, which allows us to get the kids in childcare for a weekend, giving us a chance to have a date. It used to be so popular that you had to show up at least thirty minutes early to get a spot in line, and make reservations …
