Mini was getting dressed for bed Friday evening. She came out from the bedroom and her shirt didn’t quite meet her pants…In fact, her shirt came nowhere near her pants. Her belly was too big. By a lot, really. It’s an issue that I’ve noticed and tried to make slight, not-so-feelings-hurting comments on, but I don’t think Mini really caught on…until this weekend.

We had decided to buy her some new clothes for when she’s over. Nothing crazy, just a few pairs of jeans, couple of shirts and some pajamas. AM helped and I can’t stress enough how lucky I am to have her in my life. Apparently in the dressing room, Mini got a little frustrated when clothes she thought would fit didn’t…And that’s when I think the light bulb came on her for her.

After she had made her choices and we were in line to check out, I asked if Mini wanted a soda. She said “No. I have root beer at home and I think two sodas is enough for a weekend. Don’t you?” She had fruit and chicken tenders instead of cheeseburger and fries at lunch, only ate half her ice cream at bedtime and only rarely snacked on half-cups of snack mix during the day Saturday and Sunday. She also drank lots of water and only one can of the root beer. She played Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resorts quite a bit and ran around the park a lot more than she had the last few times we went.

I hope that she’s made the connection between her diet (which is usually a lot of fast food) and her lack of activity. And I hope she’s willing to not ask for so much fast food when she’s with her mother. She’ll definitely eat less fast food when she’s here.

Do your tweens had diet and exercise issues? How do you help them to make better food and activity choices? Share you suggestions, ideas and questions in the comments.

My Mom tells me that I was swimming by 18 months!  That seems crazy to me, but I think I was born half-fish!  I love swimming, I grew up in Florida and if we weren’t at the pool, we were at the beach.  It is so important that my children know how to swim!!

My kids have never had swimming lessons.  With my oldest son Lincoln, I just kept him in the pool all the time and it came naturally.  I also had two hands and ALL my attention to devote to him so it was easy.  Since then, it hasn’t been possible to teach the younger children to swim.  They both love the pool, but NEED to know how to swim.

I will be enrolling all three kids in swimming lessons this year.  I want to know that if anything were ever to happen, they would be able to save themselves.  I was a lifeguard and swimming instructor when I was younger, so I have learned a few things as to what works and what doesn’t.  With my kids, they do best when I make it a game!! So…before the swimming lessons start this summer, here a few ideas to get them having fun in the water.

1.  DunkaRoos – Have your child place both hands on the side of the pool with their legs dangling in the water.  Count 1, 2, Dunkaroo and have them go under the water as much as they can and the POP back up.

2.  Kickboards - These are the best!!  Buy one with their favorite character on top and let them kick around the pool (with you supporting them – of course) for as long as they can.  This teaches them to use their legs at all times.

3.  Goggles – This was the kicker for my son Lincoln.  He hated the water in his eyes.  The goggles cured that for him and he is never caught without his goggles!

Good luck at the pool this summer and have fun teaching your little one to be safe and happy in the water!!

Do you plan on teaching your child to swim? Why or why not? Please share in the comments below.

As every mother knows, relaxation time is both scarce and cherished.  However, we all know that it’s very important.  When I get too stressed, I get short with the kids, impatient, and just cranky.  Here are some of my favorite things to do when I feel like I’m wound too tightly:

1.  Go to the beach: No, I don’t go for very long, but just sitting there for 15 minutes seems to bring me down a notch and relaxes me.  Perhaps it’s the sunshine or the sound of the waves, but it works wonders.  Sometimes I just mindlessly sift through the sand to find shark’s teeth or miniscule shells.  Either activity requires ridiculous focus so it drowns out other thoughts. 

2.  Relax in a Foot Bath:  This is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.  Some dead sea salt, peppermint oil, and a little menthol work wonders on tired feet.  Moreover, it’s not something that takes a lot of time.  I do a pedicure some nights after the girls go to bed.  It’s very relaxing and it’s something that I get to do for me and only me.  Trust me, it’s well worth the money. 

3.  Take a Nap:  We all know that rest isn’t always in abundance when there are kids in the house.  One of my favorite things to do is take a short nap.  It puts me in a better mood, clears my mind, and gives me some much needed rest. 

4.  Organize My House:  I know this sounds like it wouldn’t be relaxing, but every weekend I get certain things for the week organized and ready to go.  For example, I get 10 outfits ready for the kids and hang them up in the closet on hangers.  This way I’m not rushing around in the morning and digging through unfolded clothing to find something suitable to wear to school.  Instead, I can use that time to drink my coffee in the morning and catch up on the weather and local news. 

How do you relax?  Do you have daily rituals or is it something you do once in awhile?  Please share your thoughts, suggestions, and comments below!

Just a little update on our money jar experiment. We really hope it teaches the boys about savings and being responsible with their money. We’ll see……

Mini likes to talk. She likes to talk a lot. And she likes to talk, a lot, about the things she does with her mother and her mother’s apparent fiancé or the things her mother says or the things her mother’s fiancé says or…Well. I think you get the picture.

I like that Mini shares things with me. And I’m pretty sure AM likes that Mini shares things with her, too. But I think when Mini starts telling us things like “He’s a big lump in the bed” or “My mom got a big engagement ring” things can get a little awkward. And that’s not to say that I’m not interested in the things Mini does with her mother, because I totally am…But I don’t need or want to hear about every little thing or, and this cannot be stressed enough, about her mother’s fiancé.

We’ve told Mini, several times, that we don’t have to hear about every little detail of what goes on when she’s at her mother’s house. And we’ve told her that we don’t have to know about every little thing every one of them say. And we’ve reinforced that, verbally. We have told Mini that it’s for respect of privacy, not disinterest, that she shouldn’t tell us this stuff. I think she just wants to share and doesn’t know where the line should be drawn…But how do we show her?

So, here’s a call for information. How would you, or how have you, handled this situation? How do you get your tweens to respect the other parent’s privacy? Share you suggestions, ideas and questions in the comments.