JenOni

Archives for February 2010

Health: Bedtime Is So Much Better Now……..

Today is Night #5 since I started my “tough love” bedtime routine and it is working like a charm. I found these tips on Parents.com and tips 2,3,4, and especially 6 are definitely worth using at bedtime. Routine, Routine is so critical. Both kids are sound asleep at 10:00 each night, woo hoo!
For my little one, allowing her to cry and soothe herself back to sleep was definitely key in our new routine.

Co-Sleeping -A Good Night’s Sleep Please!

This weekend it dawned on me that my little one has become my middle of the night bedmate for the past 5 months. Shortly after the binky fairy took her binky away she insisted on sleeping together in the middle of the night.

Initially I thought it was just the transition of losing the binky. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks the transition was lasting a bit too long for mommy. I still did not insist she try to soothe herself back to sleep. When I counted the number of nights she slept through the night in her room, I realized in 5 months it was less than 5 nights.

I think this weekend was my breaking point and I needed to institute some real tough love. On Saturday, we did a bath, a book and bedtime. She went to bed with no problems however when she realized there was no more “mommy rock me to sleep” or “can I go into your room for 5 minutes” she proceeded to cry for almost 2 hours. It was tough for me to listen to her crying but I thought it was absolutely necessary. I found myself not getting a full night’s sleep because every night as I relaxed she was up calling for me and wanting to come into my room. Night #2 was a little easier and she spent less time crying. When she woke up in the wee hours of the morning I told her to turn over and try to go back to sleep. I worked and she slept until our morning wake up. Night #3 was definitely easier so my fingers are crossed going forward.

Now that I am planning to transition her to a big girl bed I think we both will have a better night’s sleep in the end.

Health: 3 year Well Visit

On Monday, my little princess was scheduled for her 3 year checkup. After weighing and measuring, the nurse told me she is in the 50% percentile for weight and the 80% percentile for height. She is such a picky eater after moving from baby food to solid foods but I just chalked it up to her being a typical toddler. During this transition, her pediatrician told me it was not uncommon for toddlers to have smaller appetites or be very selective on food choices.

During our visit, I wanted her pediatrician to offer some suggestions on providing a more balanced and nutritional diet. One thing I discovered is the amount of juice I allowed her to drink on a daily basis. I believed as long as the juice was organic, 100% juice, 25% less sugar or diluted with water it was acceptable. Her pediatrician instructed me to only allow 4-6 oz of juice per day. She said the juice consumption was more than likely filling her tummy and causing her to refuse solid foods. I know that in addition to juice the rest of her liquids should be milk or water. One thing I did resolve to do with my kids this year is to encourage more water consumption.

If my little princess had her way she would eat cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, chicken nuggets and drink milk. Her pediatrician suggested giving her a fruit/vegetable juice blend, veggies with a dip, hummus or guacamole. I also wanted to confirm whether a multi-vitamin is necessary and of course her pediatrician said absolutely. My fingers are crossed as I attempt to get creative with her meals.

This is going to be an interesting journey and I welcome any and all suggestions from other mommies who may have meal planning ideas that work for their picky eaters.

Health: Asthma & African Americans Tips For Parents With Asthmatic Children

Both of my children were diagnosed with asthma. My little man has outgrown his asthma although I look for signs of the condition recurring especially when the seasons change.
For my little princess I was a little more persistent with her pediatrician when I concluded the prescribed regimen was not effective. I asked our pediatrician to refer an allergist because I was convinced my little princess’ congestion was being triggered by something in our home or outside of the home. The allergist conducted an allergy skin test for a variety of environmental triggers. The skin test was negative for all the environmental triggers . The allergist concluded her asthma was triggered whenever she experienced cold symptoms. One of the recommendations he made was to discontinue using the nebulizer for her daily treatments and switch to an inhaler spacer. The spacer was very effective in administering her medication and within weeks I saw improvement. It has been a year and a half under the allergist’s care and she is doing very well. I am happy I took the initiative to ask her pediatrician to refer us to a specialist.
In an effort to reduce the triggers in our home, I avoid using sprays such as air fresheners, carpet deodorizers, perfumes and minimize stuffed animals in bed. Also avoid any environments where there is second hand smoke. The ideal situation is to remove the carpet but for right now it is cost-prohibitive. We did invest in a vacuum cleaner with a high suction power to minimize the dirt and dust with the carpet.
The below gives great tips on controlling your child’s asthma:

My Weekly Pet Peeve……..

This is probably my least favorite chore of the week-cleaning out the refrigerator. The multiple containers filled with leftovers. Oh, and when I open some containers and take a whiff I am grossed out by the smell of the expired contents. These are the forgotten leftovers that now have a possible medicinal cure for the common cold incubating inside of my Tupperware container. The next stop for this container is the dishwasher because it needs an extra strength cleaner and serious sanitizing.
It pains me every week that we consume so much food yet we dispose of too much at the end of the week. I wish there was a remedy for just making enough and no leftovers!

ABCFamily Cancels Lincoln Heights

If you missed the opportunity to watch this drama series on ABC Family, you truly missed a well-written and overall excellent drama. Lincoln Heights was a drama series centered around the Sutton family. Eddie Sutton, a police officer moves his family back to his old neighborhood of Lincoln Heights. The series was filled with all the trials and tribulations of the family adjusting to a new neighborhood, school, and friends.
I started watching Lincoln Heights during Season 1 which premiered in January 2007. The series was a must see every week, I immediately loved the strength of the Sutton family and how two working parents juggled raising their three children. Season 2 premiered in September 2007 and again I was hooked on the drama series. Season 3 premiered in September 2008 and the story lines were getting better and better. By this time I was setting the DVR so I did not miss one episode. I periodically checked the ABC Family website in anticipation of the next season. Season 4 premiered September 2009 and the drama was living up to my expectations for bringing the drama that I loved so much. In the past few weeks, I noticed an air date on Tv One for the Lincoln Heights series. I thought this was a little strange since Season 5 was soon to start. I read Season 3 premiered with the highest ratings in the series’ history which indicated to me the lack of marketing for a drama with a wonderful story.

Today I received a tweet from @savelincheights informing me ABC Family cancelled the series. It amazes me when networks cancel extremely worthy shows and there is no announcement or closure to the story lines. I would love to know if the series was given a fair share of the marketing budget to really promote the series. When I saw the three female cast members on the Monique talk show, I was glad to see it was finally getting exposure outside of the ABC Family network.

In 2009 the drama series received a NAACP image award nomination for best drama series. In January, the drama series received 3 NAACP image award nominations for Outstanding drama series, Outstanding Directing in a drama series and Outstanding Writing in a drama series. Go figure ABC Family, a well-deserved series!

I hope another network picks up the series because the story of the Sutton family was a drama masterpiece. My best to the wonderful cast and I hope to see you again soon. Bravo, Bravo!

There is now a petition to Save Lincoln Heights Save Lincoln Heights