Our Mommyhood

Posts Tagged ‘Kids’

It’s that time of year again.

Time to slather every inch of exposed skin on our children with sunscreen.

But how safe is your sunscreen? Or your other personal care products for that matter?

Flipping the bottle over to look at the ingredients little good unless you have a degree in chemistry. Trimethylolpropane Tricaprylate/Tricaprate? Dimethyl Capramide? I can barely pronounce those ingredients, much less tell you what they are.

Enter Skin Deep, a helpful database that ranks the safety of cosmetics and personal care products in the following categories: skin care, makeup, hair care, nails, eye care, feminine hygiene, dental and oral hygiene, and fragrances.

The Skin Deep database, from the Environmental Working Group, uses an easy-to-understand traffic light system that helps you to quickly learn whether a product is safe, if you should use it with caution, or if you should just avoid it completely.

Let’s look at Banana Boat Kids Protect and Play Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 85, which is sold almost everywhere at a reasonable price. Skin Deep ranks it a 7, which qualifies as a high hazard, because the ingredients post a whole host of high risks, including allergies and immunotoxicity and developmental and reproductive toxicity.

Yeah, I’ll pass.

After poking around a bit, we opted for California Baby No Fragrance Sunscreen Lotion, which has a ranking of 1 and is considered a limited risk. It’s a bit pricy, but there are many other safe choices.

So, before you slather your kids up with sunscreen, you might want to take a peek at the database to see how it ranks.

Nichole Beaudry is author of in these small moments, a blog about finding meaning and beauty in life’s ordinary moments. She and her husband, Craig, live in Northern California, with their two young children, Katie (4) and Matthew (1). They are currently working on baby number three.

By Nicole, Contributor, The Sleepy Time Gal

I remember the days before having children when I could take care of the cooking, baking and tidying quite swiftly and effortlessly.  As children came, I often fought the idea of making my two roles work together, that of homemaker and mother.

Now with four little ones at my feet and knees, and many things that need doing, I’m happily seeing the magic and necessity of combining the two roles daily.

With one day a week set in place for all of our family’s baking to be done, my children are accustomed to helping in the kitchen with the gathering, measuring, pouring and such.  But the most recent addition is for them to follow through with the process by cleaning up alongside Mama.

There are the coveted jobs like doing the hand washing and wiping down of tables and counters.  As long as a broom is visible, one of my 20 month-old twins picks it up and at least pushes items around on the floor. These motions are preparing her for her bigger roles in the household when she’s a little older.

I’ve noticed a pleased sense of accomplishment from my older children in being totally involved and trusted in many of the processes of keeping up a home. They experience the process of making, baking, cleaning and finally, with great anticipation, the tasting, after all of the hard work and efforts.  Aren’t these the lessons of life that matter most?

Nicole Shiffler is a mother to four young, active daughters. She loves creating with her children, creating for her children, and introducing them to the many beauties of life.  Her blog, The Sleepy Time Gal, is her attempt to capture those moments through her thoughts, photography, and creations.

By Cathryn Johnson, Guest Writer

With the school year now underway, it is time for the weather to change.  And that means our kids will be spending countless hours in front of the television, either watching their shows, or playing video games.  Even the little physical activity they had during the summer in the form of outdoor play will be absent from their lives.  Unfortunately, children these days are becoming couch potatoes far before they are old enough to grab a beer and watch football every Monday night with the boys.

As parents, we need to ensure that our children are getting the physical activity necessary for a healthy lifestyle.  Now, trying to tell our kids to exercise or turning on the latest jazzercise video for them is likely not going to be very successful.  Instead, I have come up with a list of five ways to make your child exercise this fall without “exercising.”

Take Your Child Grocery Shopping

Take your child grocery shopping with you.  It will not only be a great bonding experience, it will also allow you to make your child exercise without even knowing it.  When you are out, be sure to park in the parking spot that is farthest from the entrance.  Just walking to and from the car will be a workout.  When you are done shopping, leave the cart at the store and have your child help you carry the groceries to the car.  This way, he will not only work out his legs, but also his arms.

Get a Zoo Pass

Make monthly visits to the zoo.  Most children love seeing the animals at the zoo, and zoos are generally sprawled out over several acres of land.  Thus, walking through the zoo (one section at a time) is great exercise.  And for a fun added workout, at each station ask your child to act like the animal you are observing.  As your child hops and runs about, he or she will break a sweat without realizing they are “exercising.”

Make Back to School Shopping a Weekly Activity

Even though you may have already done a majority of your kid’s back-to-school shopping, there are always those things that come up once the school year starts.  Walking around the mall is great exercise; haven’t you heard of elderly ladies who walk the mall every morning for exercise?  Why not make weekly trips to the mall and do your child’s shopping in installments?  Once back-to-school shopping is done, you can start in on the holiday shopping.  Be sure to park furthest away from the store you are actually planning to visit so that you will have to walk the length of the mall and back before your trip is over.

Organize a Swimming Party

Even if your child hates to take a bath, generally she’ll love to play in water. Swimming is a great cardio-workout and an excellent way to burn calories, not to mention the fact that swimming is fun.  It may be too cold to use the pool in your backyard, but most neighborhood community centers have pools where free-swim times are available.  You can coordinate with your child’s friends to meet there.  Whenever planning a party around swimming, make sure lifeguards and adults are present at all times.

Get a Wii and Active Games

Since your child insists on playing video games, why not get a gaming system that is conducive to exercise?  Sure, many people will argue that the exercise you get while playing even active video games using Wii or other similar devices is not as good as a real workout, but it is better than nothing.  Just be sure that the games you buy are the ones that require more movement.

If you make exercise fun, most children are willing to do it.  And as they say, “The best exercise is the kind you are willing to do!”

When she isn’t busy running after her kids, Cathryn Johnson is a resident writer for Online Nursing Schools, where she researches areas of nursing education, online nursing programs, and healthcare. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, theater and having fun in the sun.

By Working Mommy, Contributor, Lessons Learned (@lessonslrndblog)

Water safety is one of the most important things for a parent during the summer – more than at any other time during the year. The kiddos are out of school and have extra energy to burn…so why not take them to your local pool?!

I am all about putting your kids in the water early…I mean, The Babe started swim lessons at 5 months old.  But there are some parents who take their kids to the local pool and let them run amok.

It is one thing to be an active participant in your child’s life and it is quite another to be an observer.  If you know and understand what is going on, then you will be better equipped to handle – and possibly prevent – emergencies.

Here are some simple steps for keeping your children – and their friends who tag along – safe at the pool:

1. NEVER let your child go into the pool area without you. If you volunteer yourself to be the designated parent on duty, then act it! No taking the kiddos to the pool and then sitting on a chair reading a book.  Save your relaxing time for adult swim.

2. ALWAYS take a cell phone with you as part of your swim bag. I know this one might seem like a no-brainer, but forgetting your phone could be the difference between wasting 5 minutes to run across the pool deck to use a land line or immediately getting in touch with 911.

3. NEVER use water wings, floaties or swim vests in lieu of actually being in the water with your child. Do not be fooled by the assumption that your child will be safer just because s/he has inflated plastic rings around his/her arms. I used to be a lifeguard and I can attest to the fact that those little arms can easily slide out.

4. ALWAYS keep your CPR and First Aid certifications up-to-date. I know it seems like a stretch, but being able to act quickly – and actually know what you’re doing – saves lives! You might not want to be a hero, but sometimes it is necessary.

Here is to wishing you and yours safety in the water!!

Dana, Guest Writer, My Three Little Ducks (@my3littleducks)

February 24th 2007 was the day that everything changed. It changed how I parented my 3 week old. It changed how I was a sister, a daughter, a mom and wife.

That was the day I lost my dad to cancer. That was the day I became a member of the awful dead dads club. That was the day that everything went black for a very long time. The only thing that kept my head above water was the sweet little human that needed me and only me. She kept my heart beating.

Months went by and I wish I could remember them. Thankfully I have pictures. Pictures that reminded me that I was a good mom and I did smile, laugh and I did play with my sweet little kids. Who both needed me.

June 17th 2008 was the day that everything started to heal. That was the day I donated my right kidney to my uncle. My dad’s younger brother, the man who most looks and sounds like my dad. My Uncle Johnny’s kidneys where failing and all he needed to have a healthy life without dialysis 3 times a week was a new kidney.

When I found this out six months after I lost my dad I knew I had to do this. My uncle has a 21 year old daughter who my dad adored. The thought of her having to go through the pain of losing her dad was too much to think about. I picked up the phone and asked my uncle if I could give him my kidney, and he cried. And I cried. And then he said “Of course”.

Ten months later, and hundreds of tests, a ton of paperwork and a bazillion phone calls brings us to June 17th. The whole process was amazing. Everything was in slow motion. My sister flew to Denver with me for the two weeks. My mom stayed back to help my husband with my 2 kids and 2 dogs and my sisters 2 kids and 2 dogs.

In Denver I had an amazing support team. My sister, my aunt Kimmy, aunt Dee, Johnny’s wife Linda and the amazing staff at U of Colorado hospital.

Once I got home my amazing friends and family stepped right in helping us where ever we needed it. Everything seemed to be going like it should until my 6 week post operation mark. I was so nauseous and I couldn’t sleep. Something was wrong.

My transplant nurse wanted me to go see my primary care doctor and see if maybe my left kidney wasn’t adjusting to single life very well.

Turns out it was adjusting just fine. I just happened to be ten weeks pregnant! I frantically did the math and realized I would have been 4 week pregnant when I donated. No longer did I feel the pain from the surgery. All I could think about was this little fetus growing inside me and what it had gone through.

Since it was only Friday I had to wait what felt like forever, but only 2 days to see my OB. When I did see her she reassured me everything was going to be fine and then she figured out the due date. February 24th.

“What! That can’t be right!” I yelled.

What kind of crazy universe do I live in that my unexpected little gift was suppose to come on the day that my dad died two years later?

When February 23th 2009 rolled around and we finally got to meet (one day early) our sweet little blue eyed Molly and I locked eyes with her. I knew at that moment she was going to be my daily reminder that life is amazing and everything is for a reason.