Start here. Grow far.

Don't forget: Huge SALE of Baby Potential onesies and tees!

Baby Potential is having a huge SALE! Order now from our original line of adorable career patch onesies and tees (see selection below) and they're just $15 each! That's more than 50% off of our regular price. 

Visit our main web site for easy purchasing!

The weaning isn't the hardest part

I'd been worried about weaning my son who's just over 17 months old. But, to my surprise, he handled it like a champ. It's been 8 days since he last nursed and although he's asked to nurse at least once each day, I've been able to distract him and point his attention elsewhere.

I really thought that weaning would be a power struggle. I was ready for tears, screaming, daily fights. None of that happened. It's true that he's been even more clingy than usual but that's been the only difference in our relationship lately.

So, the weaning? Was easy. The hard part? Whatever power struggle does come next. And--I assure you--with this headstrong little boy, there will be one...

Is three (or four) the new two?

It seems that everywhere I go these days I see families with three or more children. I don't know why it surprises me, but it does. Maybe it's because I grew up with one sister and there were just the two of us. Maybe it's because, growing up, most of my friends came from two-children families. Maybe it's because I have two kids and cannot, for the life of me, imagine handling more than the two kids I have (yes, I'm a wimp and it's on record).

I think the old adage says that the average American family has 2.5 kids. I suppose if that's the true average number of children U.S. families tend to have then the .5 has to come from somewhere. And that somewhere must be from the families having more than two.

Because having two children has monumentally changed my life and challenged me in ways I never expected, I can't imagine having more kids. Although, I will admit, if I'd started having kids at a younger age I can see the appeal of having three or more. When I had my second child I had a honeymoon period while in the hospital where I could seriously see myself having a third child. But bringing him home, dealing with his big sister's jealousy, trying to work, realizing I'm not a spring chicken and not getting ANY SLEEP WHATSOEVER for months on end made me change my mind in a hurry.

I'm very happy to have my two babes. But I suppose there will always be a part of me that will wonder what life would have been like if I'd had three or more. Big families do look like they're having a lot of fun.

What about you? Are you happy with having only one or two children? Or do you yearn for more? If you have more than two children how do you do it? Seriously, I want to know. Because I admire you and I'm in awe of you. You should get an extra present for Mother's Day. Go. Tell your husband I said so.

[photo credit: SXC]

Threats and Yelling and Bribes, Oh My!

My four-year-old daughter has this problem (and it's so unique, I'm sure!) where she just won't listen to me. So, I yell. And she still doesn't listen. So, I bribe her with a lollipop. And when that doesn't work, I threaten her. But none of these shady parenting techniques seem to work. No surprise there, I guess.

Someone screaming at me wouldn't make me want to listen to them either. And bribes would just make me want to work the system to continue getting what I wanted with the least amount of effort involved. Threats? Well, unless they're carried out every single time, they really don't do any good and who wants to have to threaten their children to behave? What is that teaching them anyway?

Still, I'm embarrassed to admit, I'm at a loss. We've tried time-outs, Magic 1-2-3, being patient, taking away toys but nothing seems to work.

There must be a better way to parent, but how? What tried and true methods work for you when dealing with your smart, spirited children? Inquiring moms (including me, especially me) want to know.

Never gonna give you up: Weaning, the hard Way

I'm never gonna give you up! Well, that's what my son thinks about nursing anyway. You see, Waylon's a bit of a boob man. He's not ready or willing to give up nursing, frantically shouting, "Nuss, nuss!" and grabbing at my shirt practically any time I walk into a room.

I, however, feel that 17 months of breast feeding this strapping young lad of mine (and, yes, he is a lad, no longer a baby and instead a nearly 25-pound toddler) is more than enough.

Way loves the comfort of nursing. He loves the immediacy of having his needs met by the very act of just lifting my shirt. 

Me? I've decided that I no longer want a walking, talking child lifting my shirt.

It is apparent. We are at a impasse. 

When I weaned my daughter she was also 17 months. And as was her nature as a baby, she easily gave up nursing. It was harder for me because I wasn't sure if she was going to be my last baby or not.

Now, with Waylon, I know he's my last baby. But I'm not feeling terribly nostalgic (yet anyway) about ending our breast feeding relationship. 

Between pregnancies and nursing my body has belonged to someone else for the better part of four years. My boobs gave their lives (ok, maybe just their elasticity) for these kids. And now, sagging and all, I want them back.

So it's time for me to get serious about it. I've put off weaning Waylon because, frankly, it's been easier not to. I'm from the school of Parenting of Least Resistance. He's a headstrong boy who does not ever give up easily. Weaning, I fear, will be the first of many power struggles in which we square off. But now I'm ready to rumble. Bring it on!

Huge SALE of Baby Potential onesies and tees!

Updated with a direct link to our main web site for easy purchasing!

Baby Potential is having a huge SALE! Order now from our original line of adorable career patch onesies and tees (see selection below) and they're just $15 each! That's more than 50% off of our regular price. 

Visit our main web site to order.

Your purchase will help others!

Baby Potential will donate a portion of profits to support various community outreach and educational programs funded through Family Services Association (FSA) of San Antonio.

What's your baby's potential? 

Will he become a doctor? Could she become an artist? Baby Potential's onesie/tee line was born from our belief that with love, education and community support, all babies have the potential to grow into productive adults and achieve career success. 

Place your order on our Baby Potential web site. Baby Potential baby onesies and toddler tees also make great baby shower gifts. Take advantage of our sale and save more than 50% off of regular prices today!

Our original line of Baby Potential baby onesies and toddler T-shirts are on sale for only $15 each!

My latest Mama Gotta-Haves: Thongs, thongs and not-thongs

Peaked your interest, didn't I? Well, before we get down to the nitty, gritty (and, yes, wedgie) business of thongs proper, let's talk about my new favorite thong--shoe, that is. 

Thongs

I am a flip flop gal of the highest order. I wear them constantly and I hate--HATE!!!--wearing any other regular, choke-your-feet-slowly-in-a-sweaty-dark-hole kind of shoes. My toesies need to breathe! But, as you have probably experienced yourself, flip flops are not exactly foot-friendly:

"...researchers say flip-flops hurt our feet and lead to lower-leg injuries...Unlike more stable shoes, flip-flops do not absorb the impact of steps, forcing the arch, heel calf or back to bear the brunt of the force."

I've run hobbled to the podiatrist one too many times at the hands of my flip flop addiction. Plantar Fasciitis was the worst diagnosis I received (on top of the constant ankle and knee pain from which I suffered). My doctor's prescription? Ditch the flip flops. But did I? Um, no. Like women before me who proudly suffered the pain of wearing super sexy spike heels, I, too, suffered for my love of the toe-freeing thongs. I figured the only thing to do was limp about the rest of my life, toes breathing easy but ankles cracking and popping wherever I went. The act of sneaking up on anyone was one I'd long ago abandoned (*snap! crack! pop!*). But then I found FitFlops!

They are a bit pricey for a casual shoe (about $60 for the pair I grabbed at Macy's), but they DO NOT HURT YOUR FEET or any other part of your body. In fact, wearing them is a little like walking on sand. My knees no longer hurt, my back doesn't ache, my ankles rarely pop. And I've found that I can walk long distances comfortably in them (i.e. all over Sea World), something I could never do in regular ol' flip flops. The FitFlop tout is that they actually give your legs a work out while you wear them (note the focus on tight, brown, sexy legs on their web site instead of the shoes and by the way, exactly WHO has legs like that outside of a Project Runway episode [premiering August 20 by the way!!!]?). I can't really speak about that as my legs are just as white and spongy as they were before I started wearing FitFlops (I know, stop with the oversexed images of my calves already, right?). But I don't care. I do care that I can now wear a pretty pair of black, sequined FitFlops and finally not suffer for my idiosyncratic choice in footwear.

Thongs

OK, here's the dirt: I'm 38-years-old and I just started wearing a thong. I KNOW. It's as shocking as Grandma getting a Facebook account. I mean, really, what took me so long? While acting as my personal shopper (because I have NO taste when it comes to clothes) my sister goaded me into what will forever be known as The Thong Experiment. I was hesitant at first but once she introduced me to the bottomless, pantyline-less splendor that is a thong I (almost) never looked back. I must admit that wearing the "floss" took a little getting used to, but now I'm hooked (or wedged, as the case may be). I have no specific brand to recommend (yet) but what I can tell you is that lycra is my friend.

Not-thongs

What's a girl to do if she just can't jump on (or into) the thong bandwagon? Look, I hear ya. It took me THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS to make the leap (even though my pantyline screamed "I'm wearing UNDERWEAR!!!" Every. Single. Day.). Luckily, I'm here to offer you a nice, conservative solution. Try Naomi & Nicole's Wonderful Edge line of panties. They're sheer and soft and they've got rubber (silicone?) gripper lines that stick the panties to your rump (Why, yes, I do have a way with words, thank you for noticing) so they don't move or create bulky, uncomfortable panty lines. I bought a few pair the same day as The Thong Experiment in case it didn't work out. As you know from reading above, it did. But even I, Thong-wearing Matronly Sex Goddess of the Universe, occasionally enjoy extra coverage for my more ample assets, if you know what I mean. I bought my Wonderful Edge panties at Macy's but you can get them online too.

Perspective?

Last week I kept my daughter home from preschool over the swine flu. I felt a little crazy about doing it on Monday but I didn't think I had enough info to feel good about sending her. I felt even crazier when I kept her home again on Wednesday (she only attends three days a week) but that decision was a knee-jerk one made in the minutes after hearing that a toddler in Texas died of the disease (and before hearing the specifics of that situation - that the child was being treated in Texas but had come from Mexico and had underlying health issues). 

By Friday even more school districts in our area were closing over swine flu and many questions were still unanswered about it, yet I sent my daughter to school. What made me change my mind? I finally started thinking from a practical perspective instead of an emotional one. Sure, the swine flu was making its rounds, albeit lightly, about 15 minutes from where we live. But what were the chances (at that stage) of my daughter actually catching it? They couldn't be very good. And after more than a week home with me and her little brother during which she was getting bored and I was going crazy she was much more likely to be harmed by me than by the swine flu (I kid!). She went to school, had a great time, was fine of course and I haven't looked back since.

Parenting, for me, is a slippery slope. And sometimes the line between being protective and being crazy is awfully fine...

[photo credit: SXC]

Call me crazy

It won't be the first time and it sure as heck won't be the last. I kept my daughter home from preschool today over the swine flu situation taking place in neighboring Guadalupe County where an entire school district has been shut down for a week. Did I really think that if I sent my daughter to school today that she'd catch this frightening illness? No. But the situation is still evolving and to me it doesn't seem like we have all the information yet. The facts released by the CDC seem to change by the hour. Will this turn into a pandemic? I wanted more time to see how this thing's going to play out before I send her into what is, on a good day, a hot zone of viruses and bacteria (C'mon! It's PRESCHOOL. You know every surface there is swarming with viruses and bacteria galore.). And I also kept her home because, I reasoned, preschool is optional. If she was already attending public school I may have made a different choice. Those were all of my justifications, at least. 

Still, I spent the day wondering if I'd made the right decision or if I'd made my decision based on the germaphobic fear that is currently gripping my heart (Yes, we've firmly established that I have a problem: Hi, I'm Colleen and I'm a germaphobe.). I finally realized that my daughter wasn't hurt in any way by staying home. She got to play with me and her brother and visit with her aunt and cousin (something she absolutely loves to do). So no harm, no foul (and please, no fowl and no swine thankyouverymuch!).

Because she doesn't attend preschool on Tuesdays I won't have to make this decision again tomorrow. But what will Wednesday bring? I don't know how I'll approach making the decision then. I guess I'll base it on what we know (or think we know) at the time. And while I fully realize that there are people out there, even parents, who think I'm crazy for not sending my daughter to school, I have to believe that as parents, when it's all said and done, we're really on the same side - the side where all we want is what's best for our kids. For me, for now, what's best is keeping my daughter home with me.

[photo credit: SXC]

Our Mommy Mixer giveaway winner is...

Congratulations to our Mommy Mixer giveaway winner, Cassandra Aubut from Aubut Life, who entered our contest by leaving a comment on this post. When asked what the most important question is that Cassandra asks potential babysitters, she said, "I have to know if they are CPR Certified."

Cassandra, please send an email to startheregrowfar at gmail dot com so we can tell you how to take advantage of Mommy Mixer's, "Ack! Help Me Now!" service. Happy babysitter hunting.

Thank you to everyone who entered our Mommy Mixer giveaway!

Mommy Mixer Review and Giveaway!

Be sure to read to the end of the review to find out how you can enter to win a free, "Ack! Help Me Now!" Mommy Mixer babysitter finding service (a $50-value!). 

Last week I was invited to attend my first Mommy Mixer event here in San Antonio, Texas, at Bloom Maternity. Full disclosure: I was a guest of Bloom Maternity and therefore did not pay the regular Mommy Mixer attendance fee of $100. Mommy Mixer has also given me one of their, "Ack! Help Me Now" services to give away at the end of this review. Still, this review will be an unbiased look at my experience attending a Mommy Mixer.

Mommy Mixers have been compared to speed dating because they get parents and potential caregivers in a room, have them introduce themselves and then encourage them to mix and mingle in the hopes that matches will be found. Like finding the right person to date, finding the right babysitter requires a special kind of courtship. The sitter(s) that parents eventually pick must have chemistry not only with the children but also with the parents themselves. Meeting many potential sitters at one time and in person is a great way to quickly evaluate those who might be a good fit for your family.

This is how a Mommy Mixer works: 

Parents and sitters arrive. Sitters go around the room and give brief introductions about themselves, what their babysitting experience is and what their availability is. Parents introduce themselves next and talk a bit about why they need a sitter (Most frequent reason cited? To go to the dentist! Yes, we parents are a neglected bunch.). At the mixer I attended there were also two parenting-related product/service pitches that were included between the introductions (one was for a mom-designed swaddle blanket and the other was for swimming lessons). Bottled water was offered (and encouraged lest we all get cotton mouth from so much talking!) and parents and sitters were asked to mingle.

What I liked about Mommy Mixer:

- When you arrive, the organizer gives you a "Babysitter Book." This book has a resume and a photo for each sitter in attendance that details who they are, what they're doing now (most are in college), who they've worked for (what families and how old their kids are), their availability, any certifications they have (CPR, first aid, etc.) and their references. The mixer I attended had 14 sitters so the book was also a great place to take notes on each candidate as they introduced themselves. If I hadn't taken notes I probably wouldn't remember important details about each candidate days and weeks later.

The Babysitter Book has already proved to be a super handy keepsake. I've used it numerous times over the past week to review sitters' schedules and references and to retrieve their phone numbers. The Babysitter Book also includes resumes from sitters who were not able to attend the mixer but who are available for contact.

- Mommy Mixer has recruiters working at most of the major colleges in my town. Having or getting a college degree isn't a requirement for the sitters I choose but it sure doesn't hurt. The young women who attended my mixer as potential sitters were a fantastic group. I was impressed with their poise, confidence and excitement. Each and every one came up to me while we were mingling and not one made a bad impression. Mommy Mixer does a great job of finding high-quality candidates so I don't have to. Instead I can spend my time putting their qualified candidates through my super-duper interview process!

- Mommy Mixer was casual, fun and productive. I felt right at home with the parents and sitters. The conversations flowed easily. And the organizer kept to the schedule. As a busy parent I appreciated that she was respectful of my time and made sure things ran on time.

- I like that Mommy Mixer was started by a mom! I support mom-owned businesses whenever I can. Mary Sullivan Cooper came up with a winning idea and now Mommy Mixers are held all over the country. Go moms!

What I would change about Mommy Mixer:

- As I stated at the beginning of this review, I didn't pay the $100 attendance fee. But if I had, I would have been put off a bit by the two sales pitches that were included as part of the mixer. Although I found both to be informational and somewhat related to the topic, I wouldn't want to pay to spend my time being pitched to. I think it would have been fine to mention the items/services that were being highlighted and have the representatives introduced in case anyone wanted to talk to them or pick up their literature. But as I said, I'm a busy parent; my time is valuable; and I came to meet sitters, not be sold to. I didn't ask around, though, so maybe some of the other parents weren't bothered by this.

- Billed as a mixer, I expected more of a variety of refreshments. Bottled water was offered (and sponsored by one of the sales representatives who was pitching) and towards the end of the mixer I saw a few sodas but that was about it. I didn't expect a catering spread but perhaps a wider variety of drinks and maybe a few finger foods could have made the mixer feel more like a casual cocktail party and less like a business meeting.

The verdict:

Mommy Mixer is a refreshing, new way to meet potential babysitters. If I ever wondered whether it would be worth the $100 attendance fee, I don't any longer. It's well worth that price and then some because Mommy Mixer handles the initial scouting for you. And they do a great job of finding high-quality candidates parents will be pleased to meet. In the last week I've contacted two of the sitters from the mixer and arranged on-the-job interviews with both. I interviewed one yesterday and she sat for my kids for three hours while I worked. She was personable and smart. She was active with my kids, playing games and taking them outside. They loved her! I've already scheduled her to come again next week. And, if I ever need it, I've got a Babysitter Book full of great candidates to contact if I should ever need their help too.

REGISTER TO WIN! 

Win Mommy Mixer's  "Ack! Help Me Now!" babysitter finding service! This is a service Mommy Mixer recommends if you are unable to attend an actual Mommy Mixer event or if there is not an event taking place in your city. You send them your prerequisites for sitters and they do a comprehensive search and send you resumes of the sitters in your area who they've matched as closely as they can to what you're looking for (a $50-value!). 

 There are two ways to enter and we encourage you to do both for a better chance at winning:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling us the most important interview question you ask potential sitters.

and/or

2. Become a fan of our new Facebook page OR if you're already a fan leave a comment on our recently posted discussion, Finish this sentence: I need a babysitter so I can...

Deadline to enter is midnight CDT on Monday, April 20th. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Tuesday, April 21st. The winner must have a valid email address and a mailing address in the United States. The winner will have three days to claim the prize. Good luck!