Naptime Blog

HAPPY LEAP DAY!  As the day is coming to an end, I have been thinking about how I spent this day just like most other days: taking care of the kids, working, cleaning, cooking, putting laundry away, answering emails, and more.  I would have loved to spend LEAP DAY, the extra day that only rolls around once every four years, doing something much more glamourous, but alas, it does not work that way!

I know that a lot of people have February 29 as their birthday.  I am sure many people celebrated in style today, as this birthday does not occur every year.  I am sure there are people who chose February 29 as their anniversary, so this must be a special treat.  I personally had nothing to celebrate today except for another day!  My kids were extra wild today, and I wonder if they somehow knew it was a day that only shows up on the calendar once every four years… you know how things always seem out of whack when it is a full moon??? LOL!

So how did YOU spend your Leap Day?

I am proud to say that I now have only ONE child in diapers.  I survived THREE in diapers until a few months ago when the twins finally became fully potty trained.  If you think it is expensive and tough to have one baby in diapers, think about how I felt with THREE!!!  At one point, we were spending $300 a month on diapers, wipes, overnight diapers and training diapers.  I had tried every which way to save money, from using coupons at the grocery store and watching out for deals at big chain pharmacies to shopping online.  And the most savings (and certainly most convenience) I found was by Amazon.

I had learned about Amazon Momthrough another mom blogger about a year and a half ago, right when we were knee-deep in diapers.  “Amazon Mom is a free membership program created especially for parents and caretakers of small children. Amazon Mom members receive benefits such as three months of FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime (with the potential to earn up to one year total of free Amazon Prime shipping benefits), 20% off diapers and wipes which are auto-delivered to your doorstep with Subscribe & Save and other promotions geared toward parents.”

I have saved HUNDREDS of dollars over the last year and a half by using Amazon Mom.  Plus, I don’t have to lug heavy boxes of diapers from Costco or BJs, Amazon Momdelivers in two days from the scheduled order right to my door!  If you have one or five kids in diapers (and if you have five, God Bless You!), I highly recommend you join Amazon Mom!

You can find all the brand name brand baby supplies, PLUS your favorite store brand and organic as well!  It is a beautiful thing!

A major difference between our organic baby formula and non-organic brands is the source of protein:

- The protein source in Vermont Organics comes from cows that are fed organic food and raised with access to the outdoors according to USDA regulations.
- Our organic baby formula contains sources of organic fat and carbohydrate.

Nutritionally, Vermont Organics contains nutrients that are naturally present in mother’s milk, including choline and the lipids DHA and ARA, which have been linked in scientific studies to support infant brain and eye development.

All infant formulas sold in the United States are nutritionally complete and meet the strict nutritional guidelines determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Like all infant formulas sold in the United States, Vermont Organics Organic Infant Formula with Iron is nutritionally complete and meet the strict nutritional guidelines determined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Organic Baby Formula Highlights

- Certified Organic in accordance with USDA regulations
- Certified Organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI)
- Produced without using potentially harmful pesticides, added growth hormones, or antibiotics
- Fortified with iron and contains all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients required for your healthy baby’s first year
- Kosher
- Provides nutrients found naturally in mother’s milk that help develop the immune system
- Provides choline and the lipids DHA and ARA, which support infant brain and eye development
- Manufactured according to FDA standards in an ISO 9001:2000-certified, infant formula-manufacturing facility

Made in Vermont: A Heritage of More than 20 Years in the Baby Formula Business

Our organic baby formula is made in Vermont in a factory that has been manufacturing nutritionally complete powder infant formulas for more than 20 years.

- Vermont Organics adheres to FDA guidelines and quality-assurance regulations set by the International Organization for Standardization.
- Vermont Organics is approved by QAI to manufacture organic powder infant formula that is compliant with the comprehensive USDA organic regulations.

Vermont Organics is conducting business inline with environmental sustainability. We continue to execute strategic initiatives that are helping us grow efficiently and responsibly while being stewards of the environment.

We want to help the environment and we want to give only natural and healthy to our children, right?  I know of plenty of new moms who for whatever reason or other cannot nurse their baby.  If you are looking for a great alternative, take a look at Vermont Organic.

Mother’s milk is considered best for babies, but our made-in-Vermont organic baby formula may be the next best thing.

Vermont Organic specially formulated their milk organic baby formula and organic soy formula for parents who are concerned about the environment and choose an organic lifestyle for their families.

Some people might say that I have missed out on a lot over the last few years.  After all, it has not been easy to get out by myself with four kids in tow, three of them babies!  Getting the boys into the car alone was always a big project.  I was pregnant again before the twins were walking, so carrying them down the stairs and into the car meant doing four flights of stairs, having to leave one baby at the bottom of the stairs alone while I got the other, and then getting them both into the car without me passing out from exhaustion.  Plus, the bump kept growing, making it more and more difficult to get them into the truck.

After the baby was born, it was even more difficult, because the twins were now walking, so bringing them downstairs was almost impossible.  Plus, strapping three babies into carseats, then getting them all into the triple stroller, do what I set out to do, then doing the reverse was too much for one person.  It was easier to just stay home.

Don’t get me wrong, on weekends, when my husband was home, we would be out for hours and hours.  And we never stopped going out to restaurants for dinner, visiting friends and relatives, enjoying date nights and weekends away (thank God for our moms!) and vacationing at least twice a year.  We have some great friends and two amazing families.  We are very happily married, and while my days may have been spent at home, our evenings and weekends have always been jam packed.

The twins are now in pre-school, and I take them with the little guy to and from the school.  The baby and I are able to do chores and go shopping, and it has become much easier.  And to top it off, I have hired a nanny for two days a week, and she helps with the kids so I can work and get out more.   I have resumed going to daytime events and meeting up with friends and business acquaintances more regularly now. 

I can honestly say I have not missed out on anything.  As a matter of fact, I certainly have the best of both worlds.  It has not been easy, but it is my life, and I would not trade it for the world.  i just hope that it starts getting even easier now that they are toddlers and pre-schoolers!

Just returning from a weekend away with my husband as we celebrated our fifth anniversary this weekend.  We went to Atlantic City, New Jersey, joined by two other couples.  We had such an amazing weekend!

As a Marriage and Family therapist, I know how important it is to continuously work on a marriage, especially when children are involved.  All too often, we get so wrapped up in the kids, jobs, home chores, finances and the rest of the world, that we might miss out on valuable time with each other.  I tend to do that myself, not because my husband is not priority, but because we are both overworked, overstressed, overtired and there isn’t enough time in the day!  We are each other’s best friends, and often we take advantage of that.  This is why we make it a point to get away, without the kids, at least two, sometimes three times a year.

Not only did we get to spend time in the casinos (and we did NOT lose!), enjoying adult games (and I did not have to share my turn with little fingers!), having a few cocktails, we also got to have the most fantastic meals that I am still in awe over.  On the evening of our anniversary, we went to Bobby Flay’s Steak at the Borgata Resort.  What a spectacular meal!  We got to sleep in, not being woken up by pre-schoolers jumping to get in between us in the middle of the night.  And possibly the best part, Paul and I got to spend quality time with each other, enjoying each other’s company and friendship,  giving total attention to each other to strengthen our marriage even further.

I am sure I have said this before, but I will say it again.  You definitely need to (if you don’t already) plan for some adult time, even if it is a quick dinner every few months without the kids.  You, your spouse, AND your kids will be thankful!

For the longest time, I have had three kids in diapers at once.  WOW!  Just typing it makes me shiver!  That’s what happens when you have a set of twins and a baby 14 months later!  If you have more than one in diapers at the moment, let me tell you that I feel for you!  However, I want to say that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel!  I am now down to just ONE in diapers!

It has been a very long road, and some days were absolutely relentless.  And when our house was struck with stomach viruses, I felt like all I did was change diapers, bathe kids and wash laundry!  Yes, of course I had a system, and for a while I had two different sizes in diapers, but no matter how coordinated you are and how skilled of a diaper changer you are (LOL!), it is still quite frustrating.

One of my twins was very quick to train, and he had very little accidents.  The other one was more thick-headed, even telling me on quite a few occasions “No, Mommy, I want to stay a baby!” I was worried this was going to take forever.  Then, one day right after Christmas vacation, he came home from school with a dry Pull-Up, and I expressed how proud of him I was.  He told me he wanted to take his Pull-Up off and wear big boy underwear, and I gave it a try.  He has been dry ever since, even at night!  And he has never worn a diaper or Pull-Up ever since.  

I had been told over and over again that he would train when he was ready, and that always drove me crazy.  But truth be told, HE DID! 

If you are feeling frustrated with potty training one or five kids at once, take a deep breath, keep trying, and have faith in your little one!  It WILL happen!

It’s official. Kiddo’s magical childhood is over. No more Santa Claus since last year and now, no more tooth fairy. I’ve been able to get away with being the tooth fairy without being fingered.

There was one time when I forgot to take the tooth and put the money under his pillow. He was around 5 and began to cry when he saw that the tooth was still there. I was so tired the night before that I snoozed the alarm clock until it was time to get him up for school. Bad tooth fairy! In what I believe to be one of my most brilliant mommy moments ever, I sent kiddo to the bathroom to get ready and had an argument with myself. I went into his room closing the door behind me and started an argument with the “Tooth Fairy.” She ended up (with a European accent – not really sure what country) explaining how she was tired from traveling all around the world collecting teeth and leaving money. She said that she was so tired, she fell asleep before taking kiddo’s tooth and leaving the money. After having a “multiple personality moment”, I slipped two dollars under kiddo’s pillow before opening the door.

Fortunately, kiddo was still in the bathroom brushing his teeth when I told him to check under his pillow again. He found his two dollars and then asked me what happened. I told him that I had a conversation with the Tooth Fairy (hey, it is true even if I’m the tooth fairy!) and told him how she was tired and fell asleep. He was very happy with that. Until now.

The same thing happened, except kiddo’s almost 11. He lost one of his molars (with all those missing teeth he looks like he’ll need dentures) the night before. I snoozed away until it was almost time to get kiddo up. I had three dollars ready to sneak under the pillow and tip toed to the door. And what do I find when I get there – kiddo wide awake! Argh! My cover was blown and kiddo knew right away who the Tooth Fairy has been all this time. But, I think he appreciates that I tried for so long to keep the magic alive for him. It’s a bittersweet moment for me because of two things: 1) I don’t have to pretend to be the “Tooth Fairy” anymore and 2) kiddo’s growing up. But, it’s nice to have these memories to look back on to laugh and share with him.