http://boogerland.today.com Tips and advice from a mother of active, trouble-seeking boys Mon, 11 May 2009 02:58:58 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Last Mother's Day was the worst day of my life. My newborn was a chubby healthy-seeming 9-pounder. We were about 12 hours away from taking him home. He was breastfeeding less and less and then not at all. He hadn't pooped yet, but at two-days old they kept saying, "It ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/05/10/when-mothers-day-isnt-happy-how-to-help/ The grilled cheese sandwich, just like PBJ, is a standard in our house. A staple. And I even use different techniques, depending on the time frame. Have a good chunk of time? Sure, then go for the classic: Fry her up on the griddle. It's rare that I have a solid 12-15 ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/05/03/the-fastest-grilled-cheese-ever/ In my last post I mentioned that we took the plunge and joined the Y (I'm hesitant to join anything, getting flashbacks of CD clubs and cell phone contracts). My latest excursion was Zumba! What's Zumba? Here's what they say at zumba.com: Zumba® fuses hypnotic latin rhythms and easy to follow ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/04/27/shake-those-hips-zumba-mama/ So last week we finally signed on the dotted line and joined the YMCA. (I have to laugh a little to myself about the irony, because I'm neither Young nor Male nor Christian. But I digress.) My 3.5-year-old has been taking a preschool class there for six weeks, and he loves ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/04/25/19/ I wrote a nice little tribute to White Cloud diapers in one of my first blog posts, and then they suddenly stopped carrying them at all the Wal-Marts in my area. So my latest diapering experiment turns out to be an appropriate column for Earth Day. I've gone old school, ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/04/21/in-honor-of-earth-day-a-cloth-diaper-experiment/ My older son's been called sneaky, mischievous, a trouble-maker, punk, dickens and a "little rascal" (to which he replies, "I'm not little.") But there's no doubt that he's also very creative. Take this morning. I hear an electric buzzing. Yes, buzzing. Coming from behind the couch. It's a fav hiding spot for ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/04/18/new-use-for-old-electric-toothbrushes/ Sleep. That evil temptress. Every second of the day, you want her, need her, long for her. But you can never get enough. That is, if you have small kids. Like me. In my house, we're flat-out sleep dysfunctional. Our routine, and I use that term very lightly, involves an intricate dance ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/04/16/operation-tired-the-saga-continues/ We've had a lot of luck with the 1-2-3 Magic discipline philosophy. Basically, you give the child two warnings by counting "one" and "two" for each instance unacceptable behavior. When you get to "three" they go into time out. Our time outs last one minute per year of age ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/04/13/my-son-thinks-time-out-is-the-number-after-two/ When your baby starts to master the peas, carrots and applesauce varieties of typical babyfoods, it's sometimes hard to find something new and interesting to feed them. It's an exciting time, helping them explore the world of flavors and textures for the very first time. But it can also be ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/04/09/wholesome-gourmet-dinner-teeth-not-required/ Apparently I've done something to offend the shopping gods. Check this out: 1. I just recently sang the praises of White Cloud diapers in this blog. And naturally, my local Wal-Marts have suddenly stopped carrying them. (I've been trying a couple alternatives, and will post about that later.) 2. I just bought ... http://boogerland.today.com/2009/04/08/wrath-of-the-shopping-gods/