I'll advertise for you!

Hey if anyone has a logo or site that they'd like to promote in this blog page let me know. I'm looking for things related to babies or families. I'll put your information on this blog if you have a business or anything relating. Just let me know in the comment section of this post!
NOTE: I have the right to refuse publicity.

Choose Your Words Wisely

They will become who you say they are, so watch your words. I once read in a parenting book that children aspire to be what people, especially parents, say they are. For example, if you tell people your kid doesn't eat very well. The child believes this to be true, and thus becomes a picky eater.

So I wasn't sure I believed this, until I found my daughter & I in this exact scenario. You see, my daughter is a "dress-girl." Just recently she started wearing pants. She is 5 years old. For the first 4 years of her life, she always told me she didn't like wearing pants. I knew she was uncomfortable with the buttons and the stiffness of jeans, but I couldn't understand why she wouldn't even wear stretch pants. Then, I had an "Ah-Ha" moment.

I was talking to one of my friends about the "dress" battles my daughter and I were having, when I noticed my daughter listening to our conversation. She chimed in and said, " I'm just not a pants-girl." My exact words! I must have told everyone I knew, about my daughter's lack of interest in pants. So much that she was quoting my exact words. I believe in my heart that she truly loves dress. Especially the fancy ones! What little girl doesn't like to dress-up? I realized that my daughter believed she was a "dress-girl" because I always talked about her love for dresses to others and in front of her. She was listening to my every word.

This is when I remembered the article about "kids becoming who you say they are." I guess you can say, "I created a dress loving girl" with my words. Words have such an impact on our children. I now know from experience that kids do become who you say they will be/or are. So choose your words wisely. Your words will be powerful in shaping your children's futures. Tell your kids how awesome they are! Encourage them to have a healthy self confidence, by saying great things about them. Your kids will try to live up to the great things you say. If you tell them, " Good job, you are so smart. " You children will feel good and try even harder to achieve. If you let your child know, how proud of them you are for being a nice friend by sharing their toys, your child will strive to be a good friend more than not. Positive talk will get positive results. Beware, children will also believe the unhealthy things you say to them as well. So watch how you speak to your kids. Use your words graciously, lovingly and respectfully. One of my friends said it like this, " I try to speak to my kids, like I'm speaking to an adult. My tone is respectful, not rude. I speak to them like I would like to be spoken too. With love and gentleness."

Do what works for you!

Recently I came across a "mommy-to-be." She was so cute in her maternity gear. She looked beautiful and glowing. She beamed when she told me she was expecting her first child. I commented, " I bet you get a lot of people giving you tons of advice?" She said, "yes, a lot." I was thinking about what I would say, when I remembered back to when I was having my first child. I was pregnant among many of my friends. I remember bouncing ideas off of them, wondering how other mommies juggled their "mommy duties." Then my child arrived and I can recall feeling so lost and confused. Not really being prepared for this new "mommy thing" at all. I would be told, "you should do this about so-and-such." Or, "try this, it worked for me." I remember one mom telling me not to do it that way. After a long time of being advised, highly encouraged, & sometimes even judged, I really got sick of people telling me how to raise my child. I came to the conclusion, that what works for my child might not work for your child. I found this to be true also, when I had my second child. Each child is so different. Each mommy is different too. The best advice I could give a new mommy is to, "Do what works best for you & your child." Don't compare yourself and don't try to be someone you aren't. There is no "super mom" out there. We all fall short sometimes. But that's OK, know you are unique and so is your child. Only you really know your child's needs, so do what works for you both!

Photographing your kids

Ever since my kids have been born I've taken a ton of pictures of them. I love to see how they have grown and matured over the years. The changes are very significant. Recently I took my son to get his 3 year old birthday picture taken and I could not believe how "old" he looked in these pictures. It made me realize how quickly time goes by. I also downloaded some older pictures of my kids onto a digital frame. I saw how quickly they had grown. I was really grateful I had taken all those pictures. Every month for the first year of my children's life, I took a picture. This can get to be pricey, but even if you don't go take a professional picture, at least take the time to make one yourself. You will not regret the fact that you are capturing a little bit of history through a photo. Your kids will appreciate it later too. My 5 year old loves looking back at old photos of when she was younger. It's so cute to see her expressions when she sees herself as a baby. So keep those camera's clicking and make some great photo memories of your kiddos!

Oh yea... and for those of you who don't feel confident in taking your own pictures, I'll put a shout out for a few of my professional photographer friends! Check out their links below!

http://lulabellephotography.com/ (Just started her business & is looking for portfolio models)

http://daniellesimone.com/

http://tarasosphotography.com/blog/

http://sianaphoto.com/

The Baby Language

So both my cousin and sister recently had newborn babies. It brought back a ton of memories for me of when my own children were infants. Hearing them try to communicated to me through their little cries reminded me of an episode I saw once on T.V. titled "The Secret Language of Babies. Amazing Medical Break Through." I remembering thinking that this show was a joke and that this women who did this baby language study was weird. But I thought, "hey I'll test it out, it couldn't hurt." Sure enough, I was understanding my son's cries and meeting his needs. I started a little late in the game, so I didn't get to do it for long. But I wanted to put the link out there for those moms who are newbies, so they could see if it work for them. Tell me if it works for you!

Wanna know how tall your kid will be at 18?

Check out this cool link from babycenter.com. It'll predict your kid's height based on his/her weight, current height and their parents heights. It said my my 4 year old would be 5.5". I guess she'll be little. And my 2 year old will be 5.10". Alittle more average. It was of course give or take 0.7 inches. I just thought it was interesting. Let me know what your kid's height will be. :)

BTW: Thanks to everyone who commented about this blog! (See Previous Post).