One Mom's Journey

My daughter is 3 and a half.  The other day she says to me, "Maman, I cannot wait to be bigger so I can work" - to which I replied "you aren't aloud to grow up that fast".  I don't know what the fascination is for children to want to grow up and work, or grow up and be like Mom and Dad, but I am pretty sure it has something to do with us being their most influential role model.  They see us do all sorts of incredible things that they can't to do yet.  That being said, a lot of what our children learn is through watching and listening to us. You know what is sad?  Is that most of us fail to see that, and we continue to rush through life and miss all those moments where our kids are being kids.

My goal going forward is to try and stop the rush and teach my kids about the truly important things in life.

1. Family is the most Important Thing you will Ever Own not Toys or Cars or HousesIn todays day and age, with soaring populations and global warming, and traffic and sicknesses, you just never know from day to day what is going to happen. They need to learn to not take family for granted.
2. Having Fun is better than winningSounds so cliché and to be honest, I cannot believe I want to teach my kids this - my husband and I are super competitive people, and so our kids have inherited double the competitiveness...it is trouble, I foresee it - so I plan on teaching them that fun is way better

When my oldest daughter was 2, I started trying to figure out how to get rid of that darn soother.  Her soother attachment was getting out of control.  Parents with children and soothers totally understand this constant battle to wean the child of the soother.  It is not easy, and we sometimes lack the confidence to take it away.  I know myself, I feared losing the afternoon nap and the constant battle to stop the crocodile tears. I am sure you all felt similar.  While researching some different methods, I came across this awesome list from About.com and thought I would share it.

1. Cold turkey. Stand your ground and don't give in!  It is tough, but you can do it.
2. Phase it out. Start by only allowing it at bed times and in the car, then take away the car, then take away nap, then take away overnight.  Over time is the key to this one.
3. Say hello to the "Soother Fairy" or any other mythological creature of your choosing. The goal here is to take the pressure and anger off of the parents and transform it into a rewarding event. Soothers or pacifiers go to the mythological fairy in exchange for a treat or a present. Preparation is key for this, so best to use a book or song as a tool - and repeat it often.

I think we are all pretty much in the same boat.  We live busy lives, and we have young children that require supervision when we are away.  Well, it is time to admit to ourselves that we need date nights.  Here are 10 signs you are in need of some serious one on one time with your partner.

10. You Dread your Daily Routine

Every day is the same old. Wake up, get dressed, gets kids dressed, feed, clean etc. Fill in the blanks with how your daily rolls out.

I took a break from everything for 9 days - in Mexico. I took a break from emailing, cell phones, cars, Facebook, Twitter, blogging - everything. And you know what, I was so proud of myself. I was even more proud of myself while I played in the pool with my husband, teenage son, three year and one year old daughters without even thinking about looking at my smartphone.

I actually had an epiphany while looking around at all the young 20 something year old couples glued to their screens while sunbathing, and again while watching the speechless conversations of the 50 something year old couples who zoned out on their screens during a romantic dinner. PEOPLE ARE PATHETIC! They are addicted. Life is happening right in front of their eyes. Why do they have to be online while this real, tropical, haven is right in front of them?

This is a touchy subject, and probably raises a lot of controversy, but I don't care. I am calling it. People are addicted to their connected life.

Hey you - with the boyfriend - burning under the crazy hot sun - while playing angry birds or something...open your eyes and talk with your man - maybe you will realise that you don't actually love him!

Hey you - Dad - with the laptop - your kids are

We are seeing more and more women run small businesses.  Why?  I am sure there are many factors that can contribute to this, but some of the biggest factors are women are trying to find a way to balance and juggle and multi-task the whole "mom" gig.

Image courtesy of www.thegospelcoalition.org

It goes something like this:  Get pregnant.  Baby is born.  Fall in love with baby.  Realise you have to go back to work.  Realise the cost of daycare.  Realise that you would rather stay at home.  Realise that household overhead does not allow for this. Figure out a way to make money and raise kids.

Here are some brilliant things moms are doing to stay at home and make money.

1. Run a home daycare.  Depending on your area you can earn between $30-$50 per day per child, and you can take care of your own kids at the same time.
2. Walk a dog Dog walkers believe it or not earn between $15-30 dollars an hour for simply walking a dog.  Walk two to three dogs a day with baby in stroller and you are getting exercise while earning extra money.  Taking in a dog while someone is on vacation can earn you between $30 and $50 dollars a day
3. Direct Marketing  Love to host parties, or socialize and have a great network?  Direct marketing is huge right now. Consider reading more on this with the Flip Flop CEO book.  Great read and really dumbs down the industry on how you can make money while raising a family. 
4. Artsy and Computer Savvy? Consider being a graphic designer. Be a Wix.com pro, or sell photography to iStock.com or shutterstock.com and earn a few extra dollars.  You can even contract your graphic design services via logo submittal online sites and earn loads of extra cash.  You can do this during nap time, or even after kids go to bed.

My toddler had never been exposed to cable television.  We streamed everything via our Boxee Box. Recently, my husband decided he wanted cable so that he could watch sports live.  In comes traditional television for the first time in 4 years.  I had no idea what I was going to experience.

My three year old was watching something on Teletoon (or something like that) and up pops a commercial. Harmless enough; toys, branding, the usual, but this was the first time she had been exposed to this - and what happened next was shocking.  For the first time ever, she started asking for everything she saw on commercials.  Mommy, I want one of those, I want that too.  Can I get that for Christmas?  Can you buy me that?  Everything she saw, whether it was a toy or an item of clothing - she wanted it.

In come self-esteem.  Little did I know that I was doing my daughter a favour by not having traditional commercials polluting her mind.  She had never compared herself to others, she had never disliked her clothing, until now.  I will never forget watching her watch a commercial with a bunch of teenage girls, with their long straight hair, cell phones and high boots walking down the street looking so cool and "typical" television perfection.  She has short and super curly gorgeous hair - now she wanted long and straight hair like them.  Poor thing...what have I done?  What has society done?