Easter bunny slacks off: No hunt here
Where is the magic? None of my children participated in an egg hunt this year. Nor did they color any eggs … although I did buy the eggs and the egg dye.
Let’s clarify. The oldest is 17. The middle child is 13, but she still loves egg hunts.
My 6-year-old didn’t seem to mind. He just enjoyed his basket of goodies the Easter bunny left him. (Bubbles, a book, a few eggs with quarters … )
Last night I told my husband I felt guilty about not making sure the kids attended all the usual Easter events. I was just tired, and our usual family get-together didn’t work out.
But, you know what? They were fine.
I think there is this imaginary bar that I set for myself, and if I don’t always meet it or go over the top, then I think I failed.
I need to stop that thinking and realize any effort is at least an effort.
When I was little, I loved the chocolate rabbit I would get for Easter. I’d nibble on the ears first, and then the nose, until the poor bunny was hardly recognizable.
There were chocolate rabbits in our house this year, so I guess that was partial success.
– Linda Lynn
The Great Cloth Diaper Change: Changing the way we think, but not one baby at a time
My sister Betty used cloth diapers with all her children. I admire that she did this.
Each of her little babies was neatly wrapped with a soft, cloth diaper that was pinned on each side.
I didn’t know it at the time, but she was being earth-friendly. She was “green.”
On April 21, the day before Earth Day, you can experience “The Great Cloth Diaper Change” beginning at 10 a.m. at Science Museum Oklahoma, 2100 NE 52 St.
There are hopes this event will be part of an even larger effort to break last year’s Guinness World Record for simultaneous diaper changing.
And, at the same time, Cloth Diaper Oklahoma and the Real Diaper Association will be bringing attention to the benefits of using cloth diapers, instead of disposable diapers that can take hundreds of years to decompose.
At the moment, more than 232 locations in 13 countries will be the sites of thousands of parents and caregivers changing their babies all at the same time, all using cloth diapers.
"The Great Cloth Diaper Change" event in 2011 -- Photo by Trevor Aagard
The April 21 event begins at 10 a.m. with the actual Great Cloth Diaper Change occurring between 11 a.m. and noon. Cloth diapers will be provided to those who need one.
The first 100 participating families will receive a goody bag. Activities during the event will include a baby-crawling contest, a toddler trot, cloth diaper mini classes, prizes and more.
If you’ve never changed a cloth diaper, click here for step-by-step instructions from babycenter.com.
–Linda Lynn
We have a winner! Spiffies gift pack awarded
Thank you to all those who sent me emails and participated in the Spiffies tooth care prize giveaway.
Congratulations to Doris Assemien! She’ll get some good use of this product since she has a toddler and a 9-month-old with 5 teeth!
Continue to read Hiccups for more stories, parent/child information, and opportunities to learn about new products and participate in giveaways.
–Linda Lynn
Penguin talk: Chat with the San Francisco Zoo penguin keeper
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- A crowd gathers to watch a new adolescent Magellanic penguin in 2009. AP PHOTO
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- A trio of new adolescent Magellanic penguins waddle through the San Francisco Zoo in 2009. AP PHOTO
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- Four new adolescent Magellanic penguins travel through the zoo. AP PHOTO
Ever want to talk to a penguin keeper? Well, this sounds fun.
Anthony Brown, primary penguin keeper for the Magellanic Penguin colony at the San Francisco Zoo, is going to be available for a live chat Thursday, March 15, on Twitter.
Brown began his zoo career as a volunteer when he was 12 years old. Now, 18 years later, he spends a lot of time with his waddling charges.
So, if you ever wondered how penguins stay warm, why they live in Antarctica and how many species of penguins there are, you might find your answers by chatting with Brown.
The 30-minute chat begins at 1 p.m. CST.
To participate, log into Twitter, ask a question of @AnthonyBrown and @Zoos_Aquariums and use the hashtag #AZAChat at the end of your question.
– Linda Lynn
Eat your peas or … well, whatever
A spoonful of peas from the Green Giant website
My husband and I were sitting at our dinner table many years ago, trying to get our young daughter to eat all of her peas so she would have a ”clean” plate.
We tried coaxing then scolding, but she wouldn’t finish eating the peas. Everyone at the table was frustrated.
And then, it dawned on both of us. … She doesn’t have to finish eating her peas. And, suddenly, everyone at the table was relaxed and happier.
During my childhood I had adopted this notion you were supposed to eat everything on your plate.
I remember having to sit at the table until I had eaten most of my slice of pumpkin pie. I hated pumpkin pie. Love it now, but not then. But that was more a lesson of ‘if you put it on your plate, you need to eat it’ or that I should try new things. Not sure which.
Then, there was the time in kindergarten when I had to stay in the cafeteria and finish my meal and miss recess. I tried to tell the teacher I didn’t want to eat — I think it was chicken fried steak — but she was very stern and insisted I finish. She left a classmate to guard me to make sure I finished.
A few bites more, and I was vomiting in the trash can. See, I really didn’t want to eat it.
But, fast-forward, and we know now that forcing kids to eat everything on their plates isn’t necessarily a good idea. And, truly, the starving children in another country are not going to benefit or suffer more or less if your child leaves half of her sandwich from lunch every once in a while.
As grownups we hear “portion control,” so we need to make sure we’re not forcing our children to eat if they’re full. Maybe, in the future, they won’t have as many problems with controlling what they eat.
March is National Nutrition Month, and in connection with that, Fresh Healthy Eating, a San Diego-based company, offered these helpful tips for parents:
- Limit snacks. Children who fill up on a lot of calories from snacks eat less at meal times, and usually the snacks are not all that nutritious. Limit calories that come from snacking, and offer snacks that are healthy, such as a sliced apple with peanut butter, or vegetables they can dip into hummus.
- Eat more fruits and veggies. Fruits and vegetables offer a lot of vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants. In addition to including some in snacking, aim to make fruits and vegetables half of their plate at mealtime.
- Watch the sugar. Added sugars fill kids up with empty calories. Pay attention to the amount of sugar that is in food and how much they are consuming.
- Avoid the clean plate club. Many parents try to get their children to clean their plate by eating all the food on it. Problem is, children are in tune with their body cues and tend to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. When parents make them eat everything on their plate, they teach them to ignore their hunger cues, which can potentially lead to obesity problems later on. Ideally, parents should start with small amounts of food on the plate, so it’s not so overwhelming.
- Model healthy eating. One of the most important tools in getting kids to eat healthily is to model that behavior. Children who have parents who eat healthily tend to grow up eating in a more healthy way themselves.
By the way, peas are now one of my daughter’s favorite vegetables.
–Linda Lynn
Help me make a clean sweep: My home is running away from me
It’s time for me to declare war … on grime.
And, I’d like your help.
I’ve let the house get away from me! It’s running off down the street now, flailing it’s dusty window shades and leaving a trail of broken pretzels, scraps of paper and hairy fuzz balls behind.
The shiny luster of my kitchen floor has become, well, lackluster. Trampled by dirty shoe soles, little bare feet, and muddy dog paws, and paired with countless spills of milk, juice and pop, my beautiful porcelain tiles have surrendered and succumbed to a dingy coating that will take some real scrubbing to remove. And let’s not even discuss the grout! Yikes!
When my husband and I first moved into our home, the baseboards, sinks and floors received a cleaning every week. It was a Saturday morning task that took just that — a Saturday morning.
Now, three children and a golden labrador later, our house is asking for an intervention.
There’s not piles of trash and it’s not ready to be condemned. But it needs attention.
So, what are your quickest, most effective tips you can share with me?
What’s your “I-have-to-have-this-cleaning-device” special weapon? What’s your favorite cleaner? Or maybe you’ve gone green and discovered vinegar.
Although I’ve gotten used to the crunch of popcorn and broken chips beneath my feet, I’m listening … with rubber gloves on.
–Linda Lynn
RECALL: Infant Tylenol recalled due to bottle problems
Instead, some parents have complained that a protective cover on the top of the bottles meant to limit how much liquid pain reliever could be drawn into a plastic syringe didn’t work correctly. When those consumers inserted the plastic syringe, it pushed the protective cover, or flow restrictor, into the bottle.
J&J’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare, plagued by about 25 product recalls since September 2009, said Friday that it is recalling all 574,000 bottles of a grape-flavored version of the liquid medicine on the market. The product, which was distributed nationally, was introduced in November.
It’s one of the first nonprescription medicines reintroduced after all the recalls and an ongoing factory shutdown have kept most of McNeil’s medicines off the market for well over a year, costing the company well over $1 billion in lost revenue, plus many millions for ongoing factory improvements.
The new infant Tylenol bottle comes with a plastic syringe that’s to be inserted into the flow restrictor at the top to help measure the right dose. The syringe has an opening in the tip but no needle. Consumers are to insert the tip of the syringe into the flow restrictor, turn the bottle upside down and then draw out the right dose. That’s then squirted into the baby’s mouth.
McNeil changed the design to make it easier to get the dose right and to limit spillage if the bottle is knocked over, McNeil spokeswoman Barbara Montresor said. The prior version had an open-topped bottle and a dropper with a flexible bulb at the top, similar to a turkey baster.
McNeil is part of the consumer health business segment at J&J, which is based in New Brunswick, N.J. The company’s prescription drug and medical device divisions each have issued at least two recalls in the last couple years.
Empathy pains: A mother’s heart
Baby names — 2011 top names announced
I just saw on Facebook that babycenter.com has released its list of top 100 baby names.
What was on the list? Maybe Bella? Or Jacob? Or Tanner? Or Zoey?
Here’s a sneak peak at the top 10 from the list:
Girls
1. Sophia
2. Emma
3. Isabella
4. Olivia
5. Ava
6. Lily
7. Chloe
8. Madison
9. Emily
10. Abigail
Boys
1. Aiden
2. Jackson
3. Mason
4. Liam
5. Jacob
6. Jayden
7. Ethan
8. Noah
9. Lucas
10. Logan
It made me start thinking about the names I considered when naming my three children.
Here’s a list of some of the names I considered, and I know some are not mainstream, so I’ll explain my reasons for some. (I’m a little heavy on girls’ names, since my first two children were girls.):
1. Annie (My grandmother’s name, my mother’s middle name … and I liked it)
2. Andi (I think we just like names ending with an i)
3. Mamie (One of my favorite great aunts)
4. Emma (Another one of my favorite great aunts
5. Maggie (My other grandmother’s name)
6. Luna (This one my husband had to talk me out of. It’s Spanish for moon. I still like it, but friends warned me my child would gain the nickname Looney Luna.)
7. Maya (I loved this name until I was dining in Mazzio’s and the mother in the booth next to us whined out the name slowly “Myyy-uhhh.” I wouldn’t even consider the name after that.)
8. Joiner (Not sure if I’m spelling it correctly, but it was a nickname my husband’s dad was called because he would tell other players what hands other cardplayers had. We also considered Jonah.)
9. Quint (Burt Reynolds played the character “Quint Asper” in the TV western “Gunsmoke.” My youngest daughter had become a huge fan of the show while I was pregnant with my son.)
10. Katelyn (This was a popular name at the time, but, because it was so popular, I just shortened the name to Katie for our oldest daughter. When she started school I was surprised by all the Katelyns and Katherines who were answering to the name “Katie.” I had chosen a much-used name after all.
–Linda Lynn
Baby Gourmet: Pouches make baby food easy to access
*You’re traveling on vacation and your 7-month-old gets fussy because she’s hungry.
*Shopping is taking a little longer at the store than you had intended, and your little one needs a snack.
*With daycare pickup, basketball practice and making a stop for quick cash at the ATM, you feel like you’re driving in circles. But you don’t want to give your son drive-through food just because you’re in the car. 
Here’s your solution: Baby Gourmet pouch baby foods.
Since my son is older, I hadn’t paid much attention to the baby food aisles, so I was surprised at how many baby foods are available in handy pouches.
However, for this blog, I asked my co-workers to have their little ones try Baby Gourmet and offer feedback.
I even tried one of the pouches myself, and, while it’s not my food of choice, I have to say the taste was delicious and fresh.
Jennifer has two boys, ages 3 and 1. She had already been offering ”squeezy baby food packets” to her youngest.
“I usually save them for the checkout line at Target,” she said before the taste test.
So, what were the results of the Baby Gourmet trial?
“My boys have each tried one of the pouches you gave me and it was a hit!”
I think what surprised and impressed me as a mom of three were the varieties of flavors. I have a 17-, 13- and 6-year-old, and I wish I had had the advantage of these pouches. It would have made being on the go so much easier. And, I would have felt confident that I was offering something organic and nutritious, as well as quick and convenient.
Yes, Cheerios, are great, but look at these flavors:
Juicy Pear and Garden Greens
Orchard Apple, Carrot and Prune
Harvest Pear, Pumpkin and Banana
Roasted Squash and Fruit Medley
Apple, Sweet Potato and Berry Swirl
Apple Crisp
Vanilla Banana Berry Risotto
Tropical Banana Bliss
The pouches target babies around the ages of 6, 7 and 8 months, but those are just suggested guidelines, since children older than 1 can still enjoy these nutritious combos.
I had even hoped I could encourage my son who has special needs to partake, but he wasn’t interested. I thought since they tasted so good, they would be a good way to supplement picky-eaters’ daily diets. A few of my co-workers with older children also had the same experience. So the pouch is really for babies, as it’s advertised, and very young children.
Here’s another review from co-worker, Moran, whose son is just older than 1.
“My 14-month-old is sometimes finicky about eating certain vegetables or fruits, but he ate the Baby Gourmet meals with no problem and was often urging me to feed him the meals faster!” Moran said.
“He seemed to enjoy the different food combos, which all smelled pretty yummy to me. The pouch packaging made it easy to dispense and carry the food on the go.”
Moran also offered that her son enjoyed holding the pouch himself and eating the meal directly from it.
While children can eat directly from the pouch (oh, so handy!), like any other baby food container or eating utensil, the pouches still require adult supervision. They’re not chew toys.
But the product packaging appears to be a success with moms and kids. And, Baby Gourmet and other pouch baby foods are multi-use.
Would you have thought about adding the pouch baby food to pancakes or using them to fill muffins?
Other ways to use the pouch baby foods can be found at the Baby Gourmet blog site and ohdeedoh.com.
If you have a 6-month-old, toddler or young child, these pouches are definitely worth trying. They are perfect for busy lifestyles, and who isn’t busy?
So, I have a new slogan for Baby Gourmet.
You’re on your way … with Baby Gourmet.
– Linda Lynn
Store locator for this product.
