Naptime Blog

When you have little children, it becomes an absolute necessity to have a daily routine…  and when that routine gets interrupted, it can be a nightmare.

How do you handle when the daily routine is interrupted?

With four children, three babies, we have a daily routine.  The kids get up at seven, the boys each get their milk.  I take my shower and get dressed while Paul takes care of them.  He leaves for work at 7:30.  Then the kids play a bit, and have breakfast at about ten.  The boys take their naps (usually) at about 10:30, and during the summer months Juliana plays or reads, or gets a chance to watch her shows while they nap.  I get my work done in these morning hours.

When the kids get up, we take baths and get dressed.  They watch a little TV and play a bit while I finish my work.  I like to wait until about 2pm, when the sun is gone from the yard, and we go outside.  The kids play in the kiddie pool or their slide, or they play trucks.  Juliana loves to play with her brothers, and she runs around and enjoys herself with the boys.

By about 4:30pm, we go back inside, and my mother comes to help me with the kids while I prepare dinner and finish up any laundry or cleaning I need to get finished.  Paul gets home at 5:30, we have dinner about 6, then the kids play a bit while we clean up dinner and finish up any chores we need to do.  At 8ish, we begin the night routine, get the kids ready for bed, give them their milk, and the boys are in their cribs at about 8:30.  Juliana gets to stay up until 10 on non-school nights (9 on school nights).  Paul goes to get our Dunkin Donuts iced coffees, and we sit in the living room and get some time for each other.  He usually checks his email while I do some more work, then we try to watch a little TV together for a bit before we go to bed. 

And then it starts all over again the next day.  But it is our routine, it works for us, and we enjoy it.  Weekends are different, as we have plans and parties and other things going on.  It all works for us.

We are spending the week on vacation with my family.  Seventeen of us in a huge beach house…  And of course because everyone has their own routines, my kids routines are disrupted…  My kids want to go with everyone else, they want to play, they want to be with the adults…  and it gets chaotic.  So we need to adjust to the change and deal with the different personalities and routines…  But it isn’t easy.  I just have to keep reminding myself that we are all on vacation to enjoy the beach and each other, and the week will fly by… We really are enjoying each other.

After attending BlogHer’10, I was reminded once again how there are different types of “social networking” in this world.  One is the method we’ve been using for ages: going to parties, going to the park, picking up the telephone, knocking on a friend’s door, visiting relatives, sending birthday and Christmas cards in the mail, and other tradition ways to network socially.  Then there is the 21st Century way of social networking: Social Networking Websites.  Twitter, Facebook, Four Square, MySpace, LinkedIn, MomsLikeMe, Reunion, CafeMom, Tickle, Classmates, Friendster, Google Buzz, Meetup, Ning…  the list is endless.

Where do you draw the line with social networking?

While at BlogHer’10, I was speaking with a few other bloggers on how big of an event this was.  However, we all agreed that anyone outside the “blogosphere” really knew nothing about this event and all the other events out there.  As a matter of fact, outsiders really don’t understand the whole social networking craze.  I laughed to myself seeing everyone with their Blackberries and IPhones texting and tweeting away through conferences, parties and chats…  this was one of the first events I was at that it was entirely appropriate to do so!  Normally, people see it as rude to start texting at a party or in the middle of a conversation, but at BlogHer’10, it was MORE than appropriate, it was EXPECTED! 

One question that arises is WHERE DOES IT STOP?  I know that my mother has told me that her friends know all about my travels and what goes on in my chaotic home with four children through my status updates on Facebook.  She has mentioned more than once that I shouldn’t post such personal information online.  I see nothing wrong with it.  My sister has posted status updates about her nights out, and I have  had to remind her that aunts and uncles are reading about how many shots she’s had and be careful so they don’t think she has a drinking problem!  Some family members were turned off that others announced a cousin’s death and funeral arrangements online, when others thought it was so much more convenient than making three hundred phone calls.  Some text and tweet while driving or stuck in traffic.  Some social networkers claim to do their best work while in the restroom, and some tweet such info that would make most people shout out TMI (too much information)! 

A fellow BlogHer’10 blogger was in the news back in December for tweeting right after finding her son who fell in the pool.  She asked her followers to pray for him.  And when the toddler didn’t survive, she tweeted again to announce his death and get support from her online friends.  There are two opinions on this: One is that this mother reached out for support from her online friends, who she values just as much as you or I would value our childhood friends.  The other is that this woman has serious issues and should be committed.  Regardless of which opinion you hold, this woman lost a child and what a tragedy that is. 

After my ectopic pregnancy loss, I found an online group with others who went through the same type of loss.  When, three years later, we met up in Ohio for a physical “re”union, most of my family and friends didn’t understand, and some thought I was crazy!  But these women were my lifeline for so long when I was going through loss and infertility, and most people in my immediate circle did not understand what I was going through.  I valued them as friends (still do, nine years later!) and am so thankful for their support and friendship.

So, I ask you this question: Where do you draw the line with Social Networking?

Jennifer

Mom of FOUR

www.nevaland.com , www.mymetronymommy.com

So my daughter went from a big huge bedroom (which was full of toys, stuffed animals, clothes, more toys, more stuffed animals, more clothes and more and more and more….)

We moved her into a smaller room.  I must say, it really is adorable…  My mother-in-law  bought her a new bed and headboard with a new night stand…  She chose hot pink walls (which surprisingly look good) and went with Jonas Brothers LA theme bedding and curtains (I bought them on Walmart.com). 

But in the process, she had to downsize….  She’s STILL not done…  there are way too many Webkinz and clothes and such that have not been downsized enough…  And in the process of going through old toys (girly baby toys that we won’t use here anymore) all she kept saying was… “But can’t we make a box like Andy and put it in the attic?” 

Seriously…  are you kidding?  She has a huge closet and I let her keep MANY of her old toys, but she had to choose which went out the door.  And one very lucky little girl got a lot of toys donated to her!

Andy is all grown up and giving his toys away! Will my daughter ever?

My two year old son Anthony discovered the word “WHY”.  And boy, does he know how to use it!  After breakfast this morning, he asked to go play.  He wanted to go into the living room and play with his toys and his brother and I said no.  The response I got was “WHY?”  To which I responded that we had to go to Dr. Grace’s office.  And of course, the reply was “WHY?” And I answered that we had to the doctor’s.  Naturally, I got another “WHY?” and I think I must have given him about another 12 answers, every one getting the same response.  During the course of the conversation, Louis, his twin, chimed in with his own “Whys” as well.  I am in trouble!

So the “I don’t knows” have been replaced with “Whys”.  Not quite sure which one is worse.  I can’t begin to count how many times I have asked a question, such as “Why did you take off your shoes?” and would get the response “I don’t know!”  These are the joys of the double terrible twos!  I have to say that most of the time, I need to hide my head so they don’t see me laughing.  This dynamic duo is quite comical!  I never knew how much a pair of two year olds can actually argue!  They don’t actually fight, but they disagree.  I might be in the kitchen and I’ll hear “NO, NeeNee!” (what Louis calls Anthony), “Yes, NooNoo” (what Anthony calls Louis), followed by a “My turn!” and then some back and forth nos and yeses until I have to help them settle the argument, usually by asking where the other toy is (we have two of everything to prevent this type of argument) and the answer I get is always “I don’t know!”

So maybe this morning when Anthony kept asking me “Why?” I should have just answered “I don’t know!”

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 24 months – Joseph, 10 months
www.nevaland.com

My husband and I often joke that we could have never dated when we were younger.  Paul is six years older than I am.  So had I dated him when we were fifteen and twenty-one, this would have ruffled quite a few feathers, and of course ethical and legal questions would have come up.  We met when I was 30 and he was 36, and just about the only difference we notice is our taste in music.  Luckily, we both enjoy all types of music today, so this is never an issue, but I would have never been into Zeppelin in 1980, and he would have never been into Madonna in 1986!

I have friends of all ages.  One of my best friends is in her late forties, and another is in her mid twenties.  I still have a lot of my friends from childhood, and they are all close to my age.  As we are all adults, either with families, careers, or both, and we have plenty of common denominators in our lives. What about children and teens?  Does it seem as appropriate?  Is it okay for a 15 year old boy to hang out with a bunch of 19 year olds?  How about a 14 year old girl playing with all ten year olds?  What about a 7 or 8 year old boy playing only with 3 and 4 year olds?  Where do we draw the line?  And what does it say about the developmental age of these children?

My daughter is 6 years older than my twin boys and 7 years older than my youngest child.  Often, we find ourselves at a party for one of the twins’ friends, and my daughter is out of place.  Yes, she is extremely helpful with chasing after them and keeping them occupied, but then she gets bored, even upset that she doesn’t want to play with the “babies”.  Fortunately, many times we are with another family who also has an older daughter, and the two girls can drift away from the little guys and do more age appropriate activities.  Otherwise, my daughter would rather sit with the adults than the little kids.  I can’t say that I blame her!

Older children often see toddlers and preschoolers as a novelty, and I often see a nine or ten year old wanting to keep them occupied and make them laugh.  After a while, the older child goes along to play with his peers.  He or she may come back again to play with the boys now and then, but for the most part, it is because they are amusing and fun.  A ‘tween’ that speaks to and entertains a baby or toddler like an adult might show maturity.  As a mom of toddlers, I am leery of the older child who consistently wants to sit and play with toddlers and preschoolers as peers.  There is something to be said on both levels:  an older child is obviously bigger and stronger than a three or four year old.  Children jump and play and even wrestle and roll.  A seven year old boy wrestling with a four year old boy is completely inappropriate.  An eight year old girl consistently playing with four year old girls is just as inappropriate.  The eight year old is at a different stage than the preschooler.  On the other hand, if my eight year old was always running to play with the preschool group of children over children her age, I would be very worried about her developmental age.  And if the children her age did not want to play with her, I would be concerned.

As a parent, it is my responsibility to be aware of the red flags.  I should also be mindful of my children’s peers.  If I consistently take my older daughter to places with only younger children, I am at fault.  And if my younger children are consistently being joined by an older child, I need to be aware of and monitor the interaction between the children.  After all, how often do we read about an older child harming a younger child right under their parents’ noses?

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 24 months – Joseph, 10 months
www.nevaland.com

Last month I made a pediatrician appointment for the boys.  Louis and Anthony needed their two year old well visit and Joseph needed his 10 month well visit.  I gave myself plenty of time to find someone to come with me, but silly me picked a VERY bad week to do this.  No one is available to come with us, so it looks like it will be just me and Juliana with the three boys off to the pediatrician’s.

While I was getting myself ready this morning, I realized that three well visits have the potential for three boys needing shots!  Just thinking about this appointment is making me anxious!  I have to load all the kids in the van, drive up to the office (about 15 miles away), unload into strollers, get them all into the office, then strip each one, do the well visit, get some shots, then dress each one, load them back in strollers, load them back into the van, drive back home, unload everyone into the house, and hopefully be semi-functional enough to be Mommy for the rest of the afternoon until Daddy comes home.

I keep telling myself “YOU CAN DO THIS” and “PIECE OF CAKE”… but the reality is, it is going to be a BIG challenge.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Stay tuned for the update…  once I recuperate!

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 24 months – Joseph, 10 months
www.nevaland.com

After my twins were born in 2008, we started house hunting.  That came to a quick halt when I found out I was pregnant with Joseph only six months after the twins arrived.  When Joseph turned six months old, we started talking about house hunting once more.  The only negative to buying a house (other than the financial end, which I will save for another blog!) is that we would move away from my family and we have come to rely on my parent, siblings, aunts and cousins to help us with the kids.  But as this is a buyer’s market, we felt it was the best time to resume our hunt. 

The hunt quickly ended when we made the decision to do construction at home and stick around for a few more years.  We rent an apartment in my grandmother’s house, so we are lucky to have a yard, a garage, an attic and a basement.  We spend most of our time in the basement, which is set up like a huge family room.  We have a full kitchen and half-bath in the basement, so we have made it quite comfortable to spend our days, utilizing the yard, and having some more living space.  The only drawback is that our apartment is on the third floor.  So every night we have to trudge up 4 children three flights and every morning we trudge back down.  Throw in laundry and diapers and everything else that goes up and down each day, it has been tiring and has taken its toll on us all.

We have decided to move our bedrooms downstairs to the first floor apartment.  The construction crew came last week to gut the walls and start the work.  I am very much looking forward to how much easier it will undoubtedly be when all is said and done, but I am wondering, were we totally crazy to make this decision?

Stick around, I will certainly be updating as construction resumes (contractor will be back in two weeks to get back to work) and I will probably be doing a lot of venting as we have to start packing and bringing everything down!  Wish me luck!

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 24 months – Joseph, 10 months
www.nevaland.com

Not quite sure how Anthony got pink eye last week.  He is not in school and really is only around his brothers and sisters.  But he got it, and had crusty, leaky, swollen eyes for a few days.  I thought maybe he was having a reaction to the chlorine, as he was swimming the day before his eyes started to show symptoms, and really didn’t think he was contagious because no one else had caught it.  But sure enough, about a week later, the baby woke up with eyes closed shut! 

Joseph’s left eye was very icky and gooey, and I called the pediatrician.  I explained to Dr. Grace that Juliana and I had slight colds, and asked if it could be possible that Anthony and Joseph’s cold symptoms were coming out their eyes.  She said this would be possible, and asked me to monitor the little guy and call her if anything changed.  I kept cleaning Joseph’s eyes (by this time both eyes were showing symptoms) and hoped that when he woke up the next morning he’d be better.

When my 10 month old baby boy woke up yesterday morning, he looked like a prize fighter!   His left eye was almost shut closed, he was swollen and red, his eye was crusty and gooey.  I was just about the call Dr. Grace back when Juliana walked into the boys’ room.  “MOM!  Look at my eyes!  They hurt!”  UGH!  Lucky me.  Three out of four kids obviously have pink eye/conjunctivitis, or whatever they call it these days.  Dr. Grace got us right in.

Luckily, Anthony’s eyes looked much better.  Joseph and Juliana were given drops, and she told us that should Louis develop symptoms, give her a call so she could call his prescription in as well.  And off we went.

Don’t you know it, not 2 hours after we left the pediatrician’s office, Louis wakes up from his afternoon nap with a swollen right eye and goo coming out of it!  By bedtime, his left eye was gooey as well.  Just my luck, four kids, eight pink eyes over the last week.

Not that this was enough of a blow for our family…  but don’t you know it?  I woke up this morning with a gooey right eye!  Fun, fun, fun!  I hope my husband doesn’t get it!  I cannot imagine when I have all four kids in school and germs are spreading in their classes.  I will FOREVER be at Dr. Grace’s office!  Happy Summer everyone!

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 24 months – Joseph, 10 months
www.nevaland.com

Which baby wipe is your brand of choice? Do you have a favorite or just buy what’s on sale?

Huggies Wipes 40.35%
Pampers Wipes 26.32%
Luvs Wipes 0%
Store brand (Target, Walmart, Babies R Us, etc.) 25.44%
I make my own 4.39%
Other (name it!) 3.50%
Total number of votes: 114

I recently asked moms from all across the country which brand of baby wipes was their brand of choice.  Huggies brand got the highest percentage of votes, with Pampers and store brand wipes almost tying for second.  Less than 10% of moms said that they either used washcloths or made their own wipes.  Out of 114 votes, no one voted for Luvs wipes.

After reading all of the feedback, it is obvious that a mom’s choice of wipes is just as unique as her choice of baby names, religious beliefs, or anything else that might not be agreed by the next mom.  Here are some of the comments that the moms mentioned when asked to respond to the poll.

Huggies wipes
Many moms who voted for the Huggies brand wipes mentioned the thickness of the wipes, some said that they were too rough.  One mom said she felt the Huggies wipes felt cheap, and some said that they rip too easily.  Some moms mentioned that the Huggies wipes were not nearly as wet as the Pampers wipes.  A few of the moms mentioned the scented wipes, and found personal preference in those.

Pampers wipes
Contrarily to the Huggies wipes comments, moms noted the Pampers wipes to be soft.  While some moms felt the Huggies brand didn’t stay wet and fell apart too easily, others said that the Pampers wipes weren’t as wet as the Huggies brand and/or fell apart too easily.

Store brand wipes
Many moms mentioned that they only buy store brand wipes, as some said they shop based on price, others said they shop store brand because they see the brand as identical to a name brand product, and others made it clear that as long as they can clean a baby’s butt, they would buy and use a particular brand again.  Just as with Huggies and Pampers brands of wipes, there are moms that will ONLY buy a particular brand, and there are moms that would never touch a particular brand again.  Some moms love the individual store brand of wipes, some had some strong feelings against specific store brands.

Target brand
Some moms mentioned how they love the softness in the Target wipes.  One mom argued that these wipes have inordinate amounts of bleach in them, recalls a story of a mom who left a wipe on a shirt overnight, the next morning the blue shirt had a white spot where the wipe was
Walmart brand

One mom mentioned that her son had a reaction to the Walmart brand of wipes.  Some like the scent and feel of the Walmart brand.  One said that they are not as nice as the Target brand.

Costco brand
A few moms made mention of the Kirkland brand and how they are not only a great price, they are convenient and their brand of choice.
 
Some moms admit that they have no brand of choice, but rather they buy what’s on sale or the store brand.  Other moms shared that their babies’ bottoms are too sensitive for wipes, and many of those moms opt for washcloths.  At first, I was surprised to learn that some moms who will only buy (for instance) Pampers diapers would never buy Pampers wipes. 

As a mom of four, three in diapers at once, the best advice I can give is to try out the various brands of wipes on the market today.  Your baby might dictate which brand is best for him or her (some babies need specific sensitivity brands, others, due to what they make in their diaper might need a stronger or more rugged wipe.  If your child is showing no reactions to any one brand, you have the flexibility to try various brands, scents, special features, etc., until you find the one that is perfect for you and your baby!

Poll was conducted on MomsLikeMe.com national.

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 24 months – Joseph, 10 months
www.nevaland.com

…OK, well I’m really not ready.  But that is what their invitation sent.  Just mailed them out today.  I still cannot believe how fast time flies.  I remember my daughter’s second birthday which was six years ago already.  She woke up on the morning of her second birthday chanting “Happy JULNA day!”  Back then it seemed every day was Juliana Day, as she was my only child.  And now I have four.  Two of those four are turning TWO years old!

It feels like a few weeks ago Paul and I were planning our wedding.  We tried for a year after we got married to become pregnant, and when the sonogram showed twins, Paul had to lift my chin up off the floor.  I didn’t think I could survive a twin pregnancy, but I did, and they were the cutest little pair of cuties ever!  I cannot imagine my life without them!  These two little characters are just that.  They are always full of laughs and make everyone who comes in contact with them laugh, too!  Even when I want to run away from the chaos, I still have to sit back and laugh at these kids. 

Anthony loves to strip.  When we took them to see Toy Story 3 last week, he slowly and steadily took off one sneaker, then the next, followed by each sock (“dock”).  I didn’t realize he had slinked out of his shorts as well, and slid down on the floor to eat the popcorn he dropped a few minutes before!  When I picked him up to stop the popcorn eating fiasco, he just looked at me with those adoring eyes and said “Mommy, CAN I HAVE MORE POPCORN PLEASE!”  OK, it actually sounded more like “MaMa!  Corn!  Pease!  More!!!!”

Louis is a self-proclaimed vegetarian.  Yep, not even two years old and already deciding he will not eat meat.  OK, so that is NOT entirely true.  He will eat Grandma’s meatballs, chicken nuggets and hot dogs (“Ott dugs”) and occasionally I try to sneak in a slice of ham or a bite of a piece of steak.  One evening, I forced his little mouth open and made him eat a piece of London broil.  The child smiled, saying “MEEEET!!!  Noo-Noo (what he calls himself, his version of Lou-Lou) eat MEEEET!!!”.  He chewed and chewed for TEN minutes.  Then, as soon as Paul and I turned to eat other to talk, he took the piece of meat out of his mouth and back into his dish!  When we told him to eat the meat, he told us “I DID!!!!!”  and when I told him he needs to swallow it, he answered “I CAN’T”

Yes, they certainly keep things interesting around here!

So, as we approach the terrible twos (and debatably we already did!), I am planning my sons’ second birthday party.  We’re not having a big party as we did last year:  some family and friends in our yard.  The theme is Sesame Street, and I am going to decorate the yard, have Elmo make a guest appearance, and have the kids swim in the kiddie pool.  We will barbecue and have cake and cupcakes, and my boys will get to hear everyone sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to them!  They love to sing it to everyone else, and every time I say that it is THEIR turn, they grin from ear to ear.  My twins are turning two.  I’m sure it is going to be a fun ride!

Jennifer Nevadomski
Paul’s Wife
Mom to: Juliana, 8 – Louis and Anthony, 24 months – Joseph, 10 months
www.nevaland.com