How To Make an Alligator Puppet

This is an easy and fun way to make a homemade alligator hand puppet.  The things you will need to make this simple project are: 2 empty macaroni and cheese boxes, tape, glue, scissors, and construction paper (2 green, 1 red, and 1 white). Read more

Zen Mommy Minute: “Book Cuddling”

This week I am spending four amazing days soaking up the best of the best when it comes to the latest in early childhood development at the Parents As Teachers 25th National Conference. Yep, it’s all happening this week in my hometown of St. Louis (how lucky can a girl GET?!?!) and My Mommy Manual is there with Media Passes to cover the full event. You can expect a number of posts in the days and weeks to come inspired by the darn-knowledgeable, topical and FUN presenters we’re seeing.

How are Practical Mommy and I enjoying the conference thus far? Just think “kid in a candy store” and you’ve got the idea. Yesterday at a workshop entitled “Read With Me” I was reminded of the importance of reading with kids. I know you hear a lot about this topic from doctors, magazines, etc… but let me tell you about the message I got from this session that had a refreshing twist! Learn more in this one minute video and/or by reading on!

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How To Talk About Sex & Stay Sane

I never thought to tell my toddlers not to put a big magnet against the TV screen. The green and purple spot on the TV screen is a permanent reminder of the warning that I never gave. They are now 11, 12 and 13 years old. The harm they could do or have happen to them has ramped up remarkably. I feel that I’ve entered an awkward stage right along with them.  I’m fretting about how to continue to talk with them about puberty and sex.

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How Do You Discipline a Teenager?

I’ve always been one to watch for a sign that might help me deal with whatever might be churning in my head.  That’s because whatever is churning in my head is also likely to make my stomach churn if it stays there too long.  Today, I saw just what I needed: keep calm and carry on.  And, it was literally on a poster. I couldn’t have asked for anything clearer.

The British Ministry of Information originated the encouraging slogan in 1939, but it was never used. It’s certainly been put to good use 70 years later. I’ve since learned that this slogan is available on almost everything from a postcard to a tea towel. You think I would have seen it at least once before now. But, then again, maybe I didn’t need to see it so much until now.

Today, I am thinking about how I cope with growing children and the growing complexity of problems that can come with the territory. This is because Bonni brought up the subject of disciplining children as they get older.
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How to Massage Your Pregnant Belly

As a Physical Therapist, Prenatal Massage Instructor and a Certified Educator of Infant Massage, I’d like to show you how you can massage your pregnant belly. I’m 22 weeks pregnant with twins, so it’s a perfect time. After reviewing a few basic tips and the benefits, I’ll demonstrate a few belly massage techniques. Put on some relaxing music and follow along with this video for a therapeutic bonding time with your baby!

Tips:

1.  A good time to start is the middle to end of your second trimester, especially if you are already feeling your baby(s) move.

2. Sit on your bed or a couch with a couple pillows behind your back. Avoid lying flat.

3. Use oil over lotion as lotion tends to dry out quickly. Pick something that will help you avoid stretch marks. I’m using Baby Bump from Due Maternity in this video.

4. Use light pressure and work at a comfortable pace.

5. Remember to breathe. Read more

How to Plan Affordable Summer Activities

If you’re on a budget this summer (like I am), your family may have decided to pass on the purse-busting trip to Disney World. But that doesn’t mean you have to pass on fun. Stay closer to home! Enjoy the great outdoors! There are lots of fun things to do with kids and babies and I’ve got a few great tips on gear that will make it possible/easier for you to do it.

If you’re in Missouri, Missouri State Parks has a great program called One Tank Trips, which is exactly what it sounds like… lots of great ideas for road trips within one tank from any number of cities around the state. Find out more on their web page or by calling 800-334-6946. From St. Louis for example, some options include Confluence State Park, where the Missouri and Mississippi rivers meet (FREE admission) and Babler State Park (FREE admission and camping for $9-17).

But can you really take the baby camping? Absolutely! Kangaroo Kids has a full line of Phil & Ted’s baby gear that will get you fully outfitted to take Sweet Pea on her first adventure. 1) the Sport Buggy, 2) the Metro Backpack Carrier and 3) the Travel Cot. Kangaroo Kids is a well-respected kids and maternity resale shop in St. Louis that also has an online store so if you’re lucky, they may be able to hook you up with gently used models.

How to Share Stillness

I am sooo lucky! I got to watch Zen Mommy in action last week, teaching her infant massage class. For those of you who don’t know this already, ZM is magical! I was able to capture at least a dozen golden nuggets of wisdom like this one… so get ready… because we’ll be sharing them all… as soon as I can figure out this video thing!

The lesson of stillness was profound for me. I was sitting there, behind the viewfinder of my archaic camcorder and thinking, I can do this with my kids! I can do this for myself! Take a moment of stillness, anytime. When my daughter was agitated over the weekend, I went back to that moment and put my hand on her forehead.

Magical! Thank you, Zen Mommy!

How to Give Your Newborn a Bath

When I had my first baby, I did everything “by the book.” My husband and I took the birthing classes at the hospital and signed up for the Baby Care 101 class too, where you were handed a life-size baby doll to practice bathing. In all honestly, I was nauseous the whole time and for some reason was completely turned off by this 20″ plastic naked baby so “daddy” took charge and it seemed very complicated. Read more

How to Party, Bear-style!

What rock have I been under? My oldest is 6 and I had yet to take her to Build-A-Bear or actually attend a Build-A-Bear party. She and my son have no shortage of bears (thanks to grandma) but until just recently, I had not experienced the magic myself. On October 26, I attended a Mom Blogger Mixer hosted by Build-A-Bear Workshops and MomSelect. The theme was High School Musical 3 to celebrate the movie’s opening weekend so I got to take my two rabid HSM fans. We also got a chance to meet Maxine Clark, who true to her reputation got right down on the floor with the kiddos and played all the games.

Again, I’m probably the only mom on the planet that hasn’t been to a Build-A-Bear party already but I was impressed that the party was a lot more than just bear stuffing! The party leaders led a number of games and activities… in this case, each kid got to sing a line from their favorite High School Musical song. FYI, my girl sang “Can I Have This Dance.” I would say that even for kids as old as six or seven (like mine), Build-A-Bear is a great birthday party option.

How to Connect to Your Baby…and Yourself

“How was your weekend?” “Fine. Thanks for asking. How about yours?” Pretty standard, right? I’ve said it. That’s just what people say on Monday. But today if you’d asked me this question over a cup of coffee, my answer would have been different. Not longer really, just different. How was it then you ask? In a word, it was “connected”.

It was one of those rare treats of a weekend. Dinner with my husband, drinks with a couple we hadn’t seen in years, a family BBQ in the backyard, complete with roasting marsh mellows (in the fire pit we bought 3 years ago that has seen about as much action as my bread maker…not much…), a “clothes swap” with 15 girl friends where we all picked through each other’s unwanted items over gooey butter cake, each leaving with an armful of free “new” clothes… and to top it off, a beautiful Sunday morning walk with my 5 year old daughter and our puppy Trixie. Sometimes “fine” just doesn’t cover it.

Sure, the laundry is insane, a tall pile of bills still sits here by my computer begging for attention and my dog isn’t quite there when it comes to being house broken (as I just discovered on the dining room rug). No, I did not fall off planet Earth into Bliss-ville. I’m still here, two feet planet firmly on the ground. But this past weekend and the sense of connection it left me with, spending time with friends, family…and myself, makes the other things feel just a little bit easier to accept today.

And so it is with our babies. How’s that for transition? You knew I was going to bring this back full circle to parenting didn’t you? But I cannot help but think that this is exactly how our babies feel when we give them our full attention. It is the thing I like best of all the many benefits infant massage…CONNECTION.

Connect Through Massage

Speaking as a mother that once tried to breastfeed and change her babies diaper at the same time, I know the need for support in slowing down to just be with our babies. Simply creating special time for massage with your little one does this. It will leave you and your baby feeling, in a word, “connected”.

If we are moving fast, sometimes we can forget how connected we really are in this life. As parents, our children help make this “A-PARENT” for us. It’s part of their job description. They help us slow down and remember. This week, I invite you to connect with your children in a very simple way through massage. I hope you enjoy this short little photo film I created to help inspire you to make massage a ritual in your family. Just click on the title that follows…“KNOW LOVE MASSAGE”.

So crank up the computer volume and get ready to feel that awesome feeling that we all want…for our children and for ourselves…connection. I’d love to hear from you if you already use massage with your children and what you and your children have gotten out of it. I hope you have a good week and that it’s better than fine!

 

 

 

 

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