I knew that when I had more than one child, there may be some sibling rivalry. What I didn’t know was that it could be out of control to the point where they need time-outs from each other! My word T drives M insane! Like all little brothers, he wants to be just like his big sis’, however the process that it takes to do so drives M through the roof. He copies every word out of her mouth and every move she makes. It can escalate to the point where I actually have to physically separate them.

I never had the whole sibling experience, but from the way M snaps at him, man, I’m glad I didn’t! For a child that is so smart and well mannered, her little Bro’ knows exactly which buttons to push to get a rise out of her.

The main issue I’m having now is trying to determine how much time and energy I need to spend on breaking up fights instead of the quality time we should be spending together. They both fight over my attention, want to be heard, and really, just doesn’t want to be out-heard by the other.

Here are a few helpful tricks that work for us (sometimes):

1. Get down to their level and make eye contact when you’re talking to them. This really works well with T, to make sure he’s fully understanding what he’s being asked to do (or not do).

2. Encourage healthy competition that involves something the entire family likes to do. If your kids are laughing and smiling… you hit the nail on the head!

3. Explain why/why not you are doing something or saying “no” to something they aren’t allowed to do. This works with T because he’s in the “why everything” stage so, telling him he can’t jump off the stairs because he would get hurt, made sense to him.

4. Structure. Routines work wonders, you don’t need to do the exact same thing every day, but keeping to a structure ensures that everyone knows what others expect of them.

5. A good night sleep. My kids are up in bed for 7 pm. On the occasion there’s the regular bedtime mutiny, but really… never been a huge issue. You aren’t tired… read a book.

6. Reward system. Yes, my children do chores, yes they earn points and yes it converts into eventually getting something they want. This teaches them the value of a dollar, that hard work pays off and they can learn how to be happy for another person even when it doesn’t directly benefit them. It isn’t child labor people…. I’m tired of picking up random socks and stepping on Legos.

7. Quiet time. Not time out, but quiet time. Time apart from each other to decompress and really, just be able to do their own thing. M is obviously older so she’s allowed to hang out in her room, T is a Tasmanian devil, so this usually means craft time and playing quietly.

8. Reward good behavior with praise, notice the little things like doing something without being asked to do it. Plus, you’d be surprised what a hug and a kiss would do!

9. Do something with your kids separately. M and I do “girls day” where we go for a pedi, lunch and a movie. It makes her feel special and it’s a good day out. T on the other hand is happy with a slice of pizza and heading to the mall to visit the pet store, so you don’t need to go overboard!

Lastly

10. Be present. Your kids are looking for attention, be there to give it to them. It makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I did notice that girls tend to train faster and in many ways much easier too. I remember M just wanting to copy me, so I had a little sidekick every time I went to the washroom. T…no way! When he’s gotta go, he’s gotta go! He lets the whole world know and he’s like a freight train so move out of his way!

The only thing that is super annoying is that even if he’s sitting down he’s still able to pee on the floor if he doesn’t point his “Peep”, as we call it in our house, down and aim it. I still have yet to determine how this is actually possible. This was definitely my learning curve. We also haven’t attempted the whole “standing up” thing too. Not sure if I’m ready for that just yet!

I realize that every child is different and take potty training at their own pace, but man, M was trained at 18 months, no overnight ones by two and T done and done at 2 ½. I’m still in shock! I also still have a box of diapers on standby just in case I wake up and realize it was all a dream! My prayers have been answered. See ya later pull-ups!

Here is our top 10 MUST DO Christmas traditions!

Here is what we do…
1) We HAVE to buy a family ornament to add to the tree every year. Yes it’s personalized, yes it’s cheesy and yes it’s totally us!
2) We HAVE to make finger or hand print ornaments for us and usually their Godparents.
3) Advent calendars. Yes, there are chocolate ones that float around the house but we do a book a day calendar. This is where the kids get to unwrap a Christmas themed book every day and I read the story to them that evening. (I love this one!)
4) The pickle ornament – it’s the last one put on the tree and the first person to find it on Christmas morning gets to open the first gift.
5) The reindeer and Santa leave footprints in the back yard because we don’t have a fireplace with a chimney! M runs to the back door every year, so I know she likes this one!
6) The kids get new matching PJs the night before Christmas, ’cause really, who doesn’t want them to match in Christmas morning pics!
7) It is a PJ day on Christmas. All. Day. Long.
8) Tapas. Yep, clean off the coffee-table, we’re eating ALL DAY LONG!
9) Watch the movies Elf and The Grinch (Jim Carrey version). These are my two favourite movies of all time and this is NOT negotiable.

And the last (and is a definite favourite of mine)…

10) Do not get embarrassed when I answer the phone (and/or change our voice-mail) by saying, “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favourite colour?”

I love this time of year! The lights and the hustle and bustle is awesome! Trying to get a parking spot at the mall though? Not so much! What are your family traditions? Are any of them the same as ours?

She was so excited to tell my parents the next day (where she scored some more money, by the way) and went on by explaining that the Tooth Fairy left her a note and a $5 bill. When I got home from work that day M ran to the door as excited as if it was Christmas morning and handed me a bag of envelopes. When I asked her what they were she told me to “guess”. After a few off the wall attempts at trying to figure it out she went on the tell me the REAL story of the Tooth Fairy. When I looked at her puzzled she told me that when your first child loses their first tooth, the Tooth Fairy brings back all YOUR teeth to your parents house so you could have them back. Yes people…. I am now the owner, or should I say re-owner of a bag full of 30+ year old teeth. I’m not exactly sure if I should be touched or completely grossed out, but I guess I should just be happy that the Tooth Fairy didn’t send a bill back plus interest for hanging on to them for me for so long! I guess another tradition had officially been started in this household!

All you need to do is set up a profile for your little one with their age, etc. and it calculates which shots they need and when. You can set up reminders for yourself, see what vaccinations are due (and what’s in them) and also if there have been any outbreaks. I like that in the outbreak section you can click on any of the occurrences and see if your little ones have been immunized against it.

The information section is great if you’d like to dig in to some extra information, provincial and travel vaccinations and even frequently asked questions.  Trying to look for a disease or vaccination? Use the search function to find what you’re looking for. Click on your findings and it will give you a list of items to choose from. You can see what the disease is, symptoms and how its spread along with what is in the vaccine, benefits, and who should get the shot.

I really like the app and all the tips and tricks it gives. I’ve already told my friend’s with kids to try it out and everyone loves it. It’s a great way to keep on top of everything and not carry around their official record. Thanks for taking one thing off my plate ImmunizeCA!!

Everyone makes excuses that they just don’t have the time to make healthy meals. Don’t lie, we all do it! Whether it be late nights at work or just your hands full with the kids, SupperWorks can help you take the added stress away. All you need to do is pick out your meal choices online and either choose to pick up (where an employee there will assemble your meals) OR you can go in for a session to do it yourself, like I did.

The first few things I noticed, the place was super clean and organized, which totally helped my OCD tendencies. There stations are set up for each main course option and all the ingredients are nicely laid out for you. First we started with the Panko Chicken Tenders, we followed all the instructions, placed a cooking instructions label on the bag and stuck everything in the fridge in the bin that was labeled for me. These were delicious, by the way. The kids loved them and they were super easy to put together. SupperWorks even adds plum sauce to this meal so you literally have everything you need!

The recipes are really easy to follow, all the ingredients are fresh and the stations are wiped down after you leave them. To not cross contaminate, we made sure we washed our hands in-between stations too. We then moved over to make the Porcupine Meatballs, don’t be scared, the porcupine just means that we added brown rice to them for added fiber! Once again everything was ready for us at the station, we just had to put everything together and add the tray to my bin. When I made this for dinner the other day I made some pasta and threw in some peas and broccoli with it, M and T inhaled them!

Lastly we hit the Pork Loin Roast with Red Currant-Sherry Sauce station. The meat was lean and a really big size. It was big enough for us for dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day too. Yes, it’s already gone! With this one we added all the ingredients in and rubbed everything into the Pork Loin. The Red Currant and Sherry sauce we made in a separate bag.

SupperWorks uses Ziploc freezer bags for everything, because all your items are to be frozen as soon as you get home. Also, when you are thawing out your dinners you must keep it in the fridge to defrost during the day, to prevent any issues with regards to cooking. All you really need to do when you get home is throw your items in the oven, the sides are in microwave safe bags, so don’t need to dirty a pot for those and serve once everything is ready.

The best part of this whole experience was cutting the prep and clean up time out of the process. Everyone HATES cleaning up, and if you say you enjoy it, well you’re probably lying! I liked that SupperWorks made it easy for me to feed the family healthy choices (even on a weekday), and I didn’t have to do any of the heavy lifting! Thanks SupperWorks!

The other day she was writing something on the window and we couldn’t figure out for the life of us what it was. That was, until she said “Go outside and look”. So we went outside and were literally shocked to what we saw. She fully wrote her brother’s name to be legible from the other side of the door. What does that me? It means not only did she spell it correctly from right to left backwards…but actually wrote each of the letters backwards correctly too. It was one of those weird moments that you had to do a double take for. She’s four years old! I then asked her if she could spell her name backwards and she riffled it off like it was nothing. Not sure who she takes after for this talent well, let’s be real, hubby isn’t the best speller, and I can read and write upside down and backwards, but this was just crazy.

I was so proud of her after hearing all the nice things her teachers said and thought about her. I wasn’t surprised to hear that they thought she was a social butterfly and super smart, but did find it funny that she HAD to tell me how nervous she was about her interview. As I thought to myself and wondered why she would even think of being nervous, I realized that it’s more of an “I don’t like the attention” type of thing rather than her actually thinking she would get in trouble. That’s her… shy yet humble. Unlike her Mama which is tooting her horn for her!

From a young age she was always advanced in her learning. When I asked her at two years old what colour and shape an object was, she didn’t answer with a “pink, circle” she answered with a “magenta octagon”. She also read small board books at 18 months, once that started we knew we were in for a fun ride. Teaching your children doesn’t stop at school, technically it never stops. I’m proud to be THAT parent that takes extra time for their kids, and tries to instill good values in my children. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the school year brings!

So, here you go!

· Convertible Crib and Dresser – get the lower wider one and use it as a change table too.
· Change pillow – Don’t forget a few covers, I survived two kids with only having two.
· Bedding – skip the bumper pads, they are a SIDS hazard.
· Mattress – spend the money and get a good quality mattress, you’ll thank me when your little one sleeps through the night and wakes up with a smile.
· Mobile – I like the one we used for T, it’s an all-in-one that grows with your little one.
· White noise machine – this was a life saver. Both kids can now pass out anywhere and noise isn’t a factor.
· Wearable blankets and swaddles – they are safe, easy to wash….get a few in each size.
· Bottles/Sippy cups/cutlery etc – these are more of a trial and error type of thing to determine what your little one likes, find one and stick with it.
· Monitor – I liked the one that came with the pad to monitor movement etc.  gave me peace of mind and had a ton of options so I knew exactly what was going on in the nursery.
· Multi-functional portable booster seat – huge space saver and you can take it anywhere.
· Baby carrier – don’t cheap out on this if you want to be a baby wearer. Do your homework and get something that is ergonomically correct and multi-position. Your back with thank you (especially if your little one has a little extra pudge).
· Diaper Bag – get your funk on, and pick something that suits you, not the babe. You’ll have to carry it! Plus, be considerate…I’m sure your SO won’t want to carry a huge pink duffle!
· Stroller – get one that is comfortable for you as much as your LO. Find your priorities and price range, then, pick a winner.
· Convertible Car seat – best thing ever. Spend a bit more in the beginning, but most have a 10 year shelf life, so you’ll only have to buy this once!
· Play yard – I like the ones with a change table attachment, great for naps if you’re away from home, and an awesome place to keep them corralled just in case you need to get something done.
· Convertible playmat – pick one for them to grow with, then you save money and don’t end up having 10 of them.
· Play items – both my kids liked their excersaucer, it’s a good investment, but make sure you have the room for one….it’s HUGE. Any smaller toys (you’ll end up with a ton) make sure they stimulate your little one and don’t pose any choking hazards. Read the labels people…. If it says 18m+ don’t give it to a four month old. Common sense in this area is your best friend.
· Nursing Moms – A good pump, a cover if your shy and a comfortable nursing pillow.

Things to skip:

· Change table – not worth the money or the space it takes up in my opinion.
· Receiving blankets – unless you use them as burp pads – neither one of my kids were one for spitting up..so I had no issues here.
· Regular high chair – I used a 4-in-1 that grew with the kids, if you can skip a standard high chair all together, you’ll save space and money.
· Steam sterilizer – takes up a ton of room and really… get a good dishwasher basket and it does the job.
· Bottle warmer – had one…used it twice, a cup of hot water works just as well if not better.
· Baby Swing – get a good rocker they can grow with and you’re set. These are huge and they grow out of the weight limit quickly.

Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. What were some of your “must haves” or “why did I buy that” products?

Well people, if you thought having one in daycare was rough? Just wait two or more is almost unthinkable. I have friends that are also going back to work and are on the search for daycare and before/after school care for older siblings. Most are determining whether they are going to make the change and become a SAHM. Me, let’s be real, I’m not made to be a stay at home mom and really, I have champagne taste, so me staying home is not for me. I’m lucky, I have family who are retired that have come together for us and are willing to take the two monsters on. That in conjunction with a Hubby who works an earlier shift and me who can start/leave a bit early, I think we’ll be able to all make it home at a decent time to start dinner.

Want the low down on pricing? Toddlers can range from $150-$300 per week for home and centre options. Before and after school programs can range from $25-$40 per day for the older siblings that are in full day school. What does that mean per week?? Minimum for the two kiddies is about $275 per week. Yes, you read correctly, multiply that by four weeks and you’re at $1100. Plus that’s the lower end of the scale! Upper end can run up to $2000 which is more than most people’s mortgages!

So, when family asks you if you would like help TAKE IT! Even if it’s part time, you can save up to $800 a month in fees. I’m so thankful that we have someone that is able to help us out, that we trust and that my kids love. Plus, when I decide to do something nice for them, like buy their groceries for the month, weekly gas or even grabbing some gift cards so they can enjoy dinner out once a week, it makes me feel like they know they’re appreciated. At that point it allows me to make their lives a bit easier because they are doing so much for us. Just be prepared to budget in childcare for your little ones, do your homework and find a place that works for your family.

Of course I threw him a killer first bday party… Mickey and Baseball themed! Served ball park food and held his cake smash session in front of all our family and friends. Had a popcorn bar with different seasonings and nachos with salsa and guac too! I think T had a blast, or so I noticed, since he passed out with a half hour to spare! Well, it could have been all the cake he ate too! He’s the only baby I’ve ever seen eat virtually his entire smash cake as he went along. It was hilarious!

Hubby had the stomach bug that was going around so he was out for the count and not at the party. I was exhausted by the time it was over, and just hoped that everyone had a good time and enough to eat! I made Mickey Mouse cupcakes with T’s godmother as part of the desert table, and honestly didn’t even get a chance to sit down and have one! I heard they were awesome though! Thank you Pinterest! LOL! I also made baseball and Mickey themed photo props for t make shift photo booth and swaged pictures I took of him each month as part of the backdrop.

I go back to work in just over two weeks which will be a shock to all of our systems, but a good one none the less. Then I get to start the planning all over again for M’s fifth which is coming up in a few short months! This time for her I think I’ll do a movie or bowling party with some friends and then do an open house for family the following day. Less is more once they’re in school, I think!

I still can’t believe the year home with T is over; I’m going to miss being with him all day. He’s a bit of a Momma’s boy, so it makes it even more fun and harder to leave! It is such a busy time for us right now! But, I wanted to say that I hope everyone had an awesome holiday season and wish you all the best in 2014! Cheers!