No Throw Strap Contest At A Blog Of Goodies

The lovely ladies over at A Blog Of Goodies is giving one lucky reader a chance to win a No Throw Strap for their kiddos cup or bottle. We have all had to stop and pick up their cup a million times at the grocery store or on a walk. I just love the different patters they have at www.nothrow.com. I must get one of these for my son becasue he never leaves his cup in the cart, he always manages to toss it out at one point or another. Hurry over and Enter. Contest closes June 15th.

I'm alive!!! :) Potty News! Yah Damien!!

I'm here, i'm not dead! lol  I just got super busy with my son, Damien.  Its been a hard week.  We finally got him into the CDU at Childrens and had his evaluation done.  They diagnosed him with ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorder!  It was no suprise to me.  None at all.  But it dosn't make me think any different!  Hes 2.5 yrs old.  Hes a boy.  There are going to be issues!  But i still love him no matter what! :)  

On a Better Note, Damien is now excited to use his Big Boy Potty!  He only pee'd 3 times in his diaper today, all the other times he pulled me to his potty and went pee AND Poop!! I am so proud of him!!  He use to just put his toys in the potty, :) But now hes using it!  I couldn't be happier!!!!!

I promise to write more tomorrow, I have some fun new outdoor and indoor activities to share with all you wonderful readers i have!! :)

Here is a picture that shows you just how much alike my kido and my Puppy Are!  They are Adorable and I love them so much! :) And they love their Naps!! :) 

Enjoy The Weather! Outside Craft Ideas For Fun In The Sun

My son loves to be outside and I have to say, i enjoy it too! :) And with the weather getting so nice, I went out and found some fun craft ideas that you can do with the kidos outside.

This first one is an outside or inside job!  Its called a Growing Magnet.  I just love this idea!  Makes a great gift for grammy or Mom!  

All you need is:

1. An empty Pill bottle or a see through film container

2. Cotton Balls

3. Fast Growing plant seeds(bean plans work great)

4. Strip of Magnet

5. Water

First make sure your pill bottle is clean and dry.  Attatch the magnet onto the side of the bottle.  You can either use the magnets that come with the sticky side, or you can use a hot glue gun and glue a hefty duty magnet on to the bottle.  You can also decorate the bottle, but don't over decorate it, you'll want to see how the roots spread in your bottle once your plant starts to grow.  Next you need to put a couple cotton balls in the bottle, and add a few drops of water, just enough to wet the cotton balls.  Now put in the seed of your choice.  Add one more cotton ball on top of the seed and add some water to that one too.  

You can now attatch it to the fridge or any other surface that it will stick to.  And in no time, you will have yourself a little plant sprouting up out of your pill bottle.  Its pretty cool to be able to see the roots of the plant through the side of the bottle too! :)  Once its pretty big, you can replant it in a pot or outside so it can grow bigger!  Once you have done that, you can start the process all over!  The kids will love this idea!  And you can give them as gifts to Grammy or even for Mom on Mothers Day!

This Next one is a great idea!  I don't know about you, but when i was little, i had a Pet Rock!  My Mom told me it would die and dissapear if i didn't take care of it, so i took care of it, and after about 5 or 6 months of making sure it was clean and sitting it at the dinner table with me and taking it outside, my mom desided I was ready for a real pet, and she got me a Guinea pig.  :) Some of you moms might want to try that with your kidos!  Always start out with a small pet!  

All you need is:

1. Rocks(send the kids out to find just the perfect Pet Rock Friend)

2. Non Toxic Paints and paint brushes

3. Glue

4. Google Eyes(or you can paint them on)

5. Yarn or Puff balls

I love the idea for the Pig Rock pet so thats the one i'm going to tell you guys how to make.  First you have to have that perfect Rock.  I find it works best if you use super glue to glue everything on, AFTER the paint dries.  Let the kidos go wild here.  Let them paint their rock however they want it.  So for the Pig, You paint the rock all pink and maybe a little bit of Red on the cheeks.  You can either paint the eyes on or you can just glue on some google eyes.  I think it works best to paint them on, that way you don't have a Dr. Mommy day when your kido comes running screaming saying their Pet Rock lost its eye and its dying!  Once all the paint is dry, Try glueing a painted pink button under the eyes for that perfect piggy nose.  You can also glue on some pink puffs on the top for ears.  

These little guys are adorable!!  Your kids can make them into any animal they want.  Cats, Dogs, birds, fish, whatever their little hearts desire.    

 

These arn't just for the kidos!  A friend of mine found a bunch of bigger rocks and painted them into different animals and bugs and put them all through her garden.  They look super cute and brighten up her garden big time.

You can always find something to have fun with, Inside or Outside.  So Enjoy the nice weather and have fun.

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep The Kidos Happy And Healthy

 

Fun with your Empty Baby Food Jars

I have so many jars of baby food in my pantry, and my son dosn't eat them.  I have offered them to a few people, but no one wants them, so i desided it was time to do something with them, why not do something Fun with them! :)  So i found these fun things to try.

One of my favorite ideas for your empty baby food jars is, turning them into little snow globes.  They are super cute, and super cheap to make and they make great gifts for the kids to give to friends and family.  

All you need is:

1. An empty Baby Food Jar

2. Glitter 

3. A little plastic Toy (you can use pictures too)

4. Water proof Glue

5. Water

6. Paint

This one is pretty simple.  Make sure you jar is nice and clean and dry.  Take the lid off of your jar and you can paint it any color.  Next you will need to get your toy of your choice.  Make sure your lid is dry from the paint.   Glue the toy of your choice to the lid with the water proof glue and let it dry.  I like to add a little glitter to the glue, just so that when it dries, you don't see any of the extra glue.  Once the glue has dried, fill your jar a little over half way with water and top it off with a sprinkle or two of any color glitter.  Now you have to carefully put the lid on the jar.  You might get a little water leaking out, but it can be cleaned up easy.  Make sure your lid is on tight and flip your jar over and TADA....... A cute little Snow Globe.

You can also use a photo in your snow globe too.  Get a picture of your choice and size it to the size of the jar your using.  Get some packing tape and cover the picture, both sides so that no water can get to the picture.  Or you could have it laminated.   Slide the picture into the jar and push it onto the wall of the jar.  Add your water and glitter and close your jar up nice and tight.  You can add a little ribbon around the lid of the jar or some jewels to the sides of the jar if you would like to perk it up a little more

Its pretty simple and the kids will love it.  

Another great idea is turning the jars into little animals.  Its fun and easy and a great time for the kidos.  

You will Need: 

1. An Empty Baby food Jar or two

2. Some None Toxic Paint

3. Google Eyes

4. Some colored cotton puffs

5. Glue

6. Construction Paper

First make sure your jars are clean and dry.  Figure out what you want to make your baby food jar into, and pick the color of paint you will need.  I'm going to tell you how to make the little Chicks.  Get some Yellow Paint and pour some into the Jar and hand it off to your kido and tell them to shake shake shake.  While they are shaking the jar to spread the paint all over the inside of the jar, you can start cutting out the beek for the chick and even little wings if you want to add them on.  You can glue the little google eyes onto the front of the jar and the little beek.  You can also glue on some yellow cotton puffs onto the top of the jar for a cute effect.  

You can make your baby food jars into just about anything for any holiday or into any kind of animals just for fun.  You can make them into santa for xmas, or bunnies and chicks for easter, or a turkey for thanksgiving or just farm animals and cats and dogs for fun.  Whatever animals your kids love, you can make your baby food jars into.  

These are fun things to make, but arn't a great idea for the kids to play with because they could drop them and they could break and someone could get hurt.  So make these as decorations and sit them on a shelf afterwards.

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

One Busy Momma! A Worthy Cause and New Give Aways

Sorry to everyone thats a loyal Reader here at Moms Helping Moms!  This momma has been one busy Momma lately!  Not only has my little guy been feeling a little under the weather, the last few days I havn't been feeling all that great either.  I think there is some kind of stomach flu going around.  Its not to pleasent thats all I Know.  I have a few new things to fill yall in on.

First thing......I'm not sure if any of you have read or heard about Kayleigh Anne Freeman, The One Pound Miracle baby!  I have been following this blog for a while, and every post that the parents post about their beautiful baby girl and their family touches my heart every time. The Freeman family had to make a decision to keep their home or Keep paying for the healthcare for their daughter.  They are going through a lot of hard times, and they need everyones thoughts and prayers to ask God for another miracle for their beautiful little girl, Kayleigh.  She is 10 months old and a beautiful little girl, but she needs everyones support and so does her family to make it through these hard times.  So i ask you all, head on over to their blog, and read about this beautiful gift from god and hear their story and watch their videos and support them in their time of need.  They have a place on their Site were you can donate to help out their family.  If you are able, please help them out.  If you can't, Spread your thoughts and prayers for this family and keep them in your heart.

Next :) Giveaways!!  Woohoo Who dosn't love those!!!

Over at The Mommy-Files you can enter to win a Yogurt and Icecream Making Machine from Cuisinart.  My mom had one simaliar to this when I was little and me and my sisters LOVED it!  All you have to do is go over to .  The Mommy-Files Blog and take a peek at the Cuisinart Site and tell The Mommy-Files which product you would love to try from their collection.  There are other ways to enter, so check her site for full rules and details.  Ends May 19th 

Over at the Busy Mom Blog, They are giving away $100 worth of Tyson Products.  Yes, $100!!!!!!  I don't know about you but $100 of Tyson Products would fill my freezer and my families tummies pretty good for a while.  All you have to do is go over to Busy Mom and Tell her in a comment, what Tyson Any'tizer you would like to try, and you are entered into the contest. There are other ways to enter, so visit Busy Mom for full rules and Details.  Ends May 12th

At one of my Favorite sites, Frugal Mommy of 2 girls, she is giving away a Dress of the winners choice worth up to 35$ from Caterpiller Kid!  They have such adorable dresses at that site.  All you have to do to enter is head on over to Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls and leave a comment after you visit Caterpiller Kid's site and tell her what your favorite item is.  you can enter in other ways too, so head on over to her site for full rules and details.  Ends May 12th

Make sure you enter these awesome contests before the deadlines!!

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

Make a Home Made Piggy Bank with the Kidos

I have been looking all over for new fun activities to do with my 2 year old on these icky rainy days, and i found a few pretty amazing and pretty fun activities we are going to try this weekend.  

This one is my favorite.  Make your own piggy bank.  

This one you can let the kidos use their imagination while creating!  You can use an empty Bleach Bottle, a 2 liter soda bottle, an empty mayo jar, or a peanut butter jar.  Whatever you have thats plastic and empty, Big or small, you can turn into a great arts and craft idea for the kidos.  

1. First You will need to use a box cutter to cut a slot for the money in the top.  make sure its big enough for any coin to fit in.   Also cut a small hole in the bottom of the bottle to put the little piggies tail. 

 
2. Now this is where the fun begins.  You can use paper, cloth or Paint to make this little guy whatever color or design you want.  If you use paper or cloth, you can use a hot glue gun or even Elmers Glue to hold it on.  If your going to use paint, make sure its non-toxic and safe for the kidos. 

 

3. While the paint dries, you can let the kidos deside what kind of fabric or paper designs they want to add to their little piggy when its dry.  You can also use this time to get some extra thick poster board or some cardboard and cut out the little piggies Ears and let the kids paint them too.

4.  You can use Old spools from thread or even marshmellows as the piggies legs.  Whatever makes you and the kidos smile :)  I like the Marshmellow idea, because then you can use a marker and make little toes on them.

5.  Once everything is dry, you can now hot glue the ears on to the little piggies head.  And add some googly eyes onto your little piggy too.  And don't forget to add his little legs and two dots for his nose or maybe an old button for his nose.

6.  Once you have that all done and everything is finished, you can add the finishing touch......The piggies squiggly Tail.  take a pipe cleaner and wrap it around your finger to shape it and then stick it in the hole you cut in the bottom of the bottle.

And There you go, you have a home made piggy bank!  They don't have to look like piggies, they can be made into any animals and any colors or designs.  Let the kids imagination take hold and create something new and exciting.  

Keep your eyes open for more arts and craft ideas to come.

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy.

Always Stop and Smell the Flowers

My Son desided when he saw a tulip outside the other day that he was going to take the time to stopand smell the flowers! :) He just recently picked up the SNIFFING Habbit! He sniffs things and says "EWWWW". Its adorable. So here are his pictures, i thought i would share them with my loyal readers to Brighten your day! :)



How Stinking Adorable is he? :) Remember to always let your kidos try new things. Always stop and Smell the flowers. Let them play in the dirt. Its not going to hurt them. And it makes for a great Photo Opportunity. :)



Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Healthy And Happy

Autism Awarness Month

My son has a lot of signs of being autistic, and i have a neice who is autistic, and know many other autistic children, so when i read this post online today, i decided it was worthy of a repost.

Directly From Gulf Daily News

Did you know over 67 million people around the world are affected by autism including here in Bahrain? Today marks World Autism Awareness Day - only one of three official diseases specified by United Nations days.

Events are being held all over the world in recognition of this day - including here in Bahrain.

On the December 18, 2007, the UN General Assembly by unanimous consent adopted Resolution 62/139, which declared April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day.

The resolution, which Bahrain is a co-sponsor of, encourages all member states to take measures to raise awareness of autism throughout society, to promote early diagnosis and early behavioural intervention and to acknowledge the high rate of autism in all regions of the world and the consequent development challenges to long term health care, education, training and intervention programmes.

Autism affects individuals regardless of race, socioeconomic status or geography. Its causes are unknown, and it affects more boys than girls.

In some areas around the world the prevalence of autism is increasing.

Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioural challenges. However, early diagnosis and intervention improves the lives of people affected.

First warning signs appear when a child is between 18 and 24 months old. (click here to read the entire story)

This is something that everyone should support. There are so many kids affected by this, Give a little support where support is Due!

Here are some things that you could do in April brought to you by the Autism Society Of America.....

Host your own event. ASA‘s 1Power4Autism is the first grassroots fundraising Web site for the autism community. It gives you an opportunity to “turn on your power” by starting an event online and the tools you need to mobilize your friends and family. Learn more at http://www.1power4autism.org/. Or for more events in your area, please visit our event calendar. Get bouncing! After a successful first year, ASA and inflatable playground franchise Pump It Up are bouncing again with “Bounce for Autism” - a nationwide, community-based fundraising event that combines family fun with raising awareness and support for autism in locations that welcome children on the autism spectrum. Find an event near you at http://www.bounceforautism.org/. Show your colors. Wear your autism awareness puzzle bracelet to show your support. To purchase autism awareness items please visit our online store. Read a book. In The Horse Boy, Rupert Isaacson shares his inspiring story of how he and his wife learned to think of their son’s autism as an adventure rather than a curse, a beginning rather than an end. Little, Brown and Company is publishing the book on April 14, 2009, and will be partnering with the Autism Society of America to raise awareness. Both the ASA and the book aim to empower families to think creatively and openly when it comes to treatment. Learn more at http://www.horseboythebook.com/. Spread awareness. ASA has free download materials to help your family, your school, your church or other community organization learn more about people with autism. ASA has developed a poster which can be displayed to raise awareness in your community. To download an 8-1/2 X 11" PDF of the 2009 NAAM poster, click here, or to request a 24 X 36" PDF version of the poster, click here. Our “Growing Up Together” is a new, popular pamphlet that teaches typical kids how much fun they can have with their friends on the autism spectrum. Visit www.autism-society.org/shop_downloads for this and other great material provided free of charge. ASA’s Safe and Sound materials are also critical to keeping our citizens with autism safe. Bring our cards and pamphlets to your local police and fire station and help us spread awareness today! To learn more, please visit www.autism-society.org/research_safeandsound. Take action. Getting involved in advocacy efforts at the local, state and national levels is a crucial way to support legislation benefiting those with autism and their loved ones. Check out current national initiatives at www.autism-society.org/research_advo_action. Become a member. A gift of $30 gives you all the benefits of membership, including access to a community that provides comfort, support and essential information to families living with autism; ASA's quarterly magazine the Autism Advocate, a leading source of information on the latest issues in autism; and valuable resource information and advocacy for autism-related issues. With your help, we can achieve our mission of improving the lives of all affected by autism. Learn more about becoming a member at www.autism-society.org/join_home. Learn the signs. Research indicates that early identification is associated with dramatically better outcomes for individuals with autism. The earlier a child is diagnosed, the earlier the child can begin benefiting from one of the many specialized intervention approaches to treatment and education. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities has developed the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." campaign and provide a number of informational materials on developmental milestones for parents, healthcare providers, early childhood educators and others that are available on their Web site http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html.

If you can do anything, do it. If you think you can't do anything, your wrong. Inform one person that April is World Autism Awareness Month Tell them a little bit about what Autism is and how kids are dealing with the daily struggles and how parents handle it. You can always do something. Autism is Serious and Everyone should know about it. Do your Research and Help out where you can help out! :)



Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Healthy and Happy

Child Hood Asthma Rant

The last couple weeks have been pretty crazy for me and my 2.5 yr old son, due to his Asthma! Its been so out of no where. He has the inhallers and the nebulizer, and it just dosn't seem to be getting any better. I'm so super worried all the time to the point where i'm not sleeping at night. I talked to his drs. and they put him on a daily, 2 times a day new inhaller, but i'm seeing no improvment in the last 3 weeks. So now its time for me to play paranoid mom and do my online research.

Every time we go to the dr. about this, they always say, are you sure its his asthma and not a cold?? I'm 10000% sure its not a cold. I went onto pediatricasthma.com and they have lists of whats asthma and whats a cold.

ASTHMA

Coughing (especially at night)

Wheezing — a whistling sound when your child breathes

Rapid breathing, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing

Tightness in chest

COLD

Coughing

Sore throat

Runny, stuffy nose

Sneezing

Low-grade fever

Now Come On can you see the difference there? I know whats wrong with my kido. One thing i'm not so sure about is the cause of his Asthma! I have been told by a few different dr. that this could all be because of his G.E.R.D. How can G.E.R.D trigger Asthma? Granted, when he has an eppisode, he does cough a lot and cries, but i dont remember the last time that happened we had an asthma problem. Right now hes on Albuteral, Pulmacort, Flovent and Previcid. The only thing that really seems to work is when we use the nebulizer with the pulmacort and the albuteral. This really limits the amount of fun we can have.

I am not 100% sure what exactly can be done but i'll keep on researching till i find something out.

Sorry for my Rant, just very paranoid and worried mommy.

Untill Next Time

Keep smiling and keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

Failur to Thrive.....

I know more than i ever wished to know about Failure to Thrive because my son is in that situation! he is 23.5 lbs and is 2 years old. We struggle daily to get him to try anything new we can possibly try. But his main intake of calories is still the formula, Similac Alimentum! As of late, he has been trying new things, like anything with Ketchup or Sauce on it. Myself and his dr's and Therapists all think this is odd, due to the severity of his Acid Reflux that we have been dealing with since day one. Hes on a daily dose of Previcid and Zantac to try and calm the reflux but it dosn't really do much anymore. But we all also agree that if he is willing to try it, let him have at it.
The one thing you don't want to do when your child is not gaining weight is to try and self diagnose. That never works out! Thats what Dr's get paid for. So if you have any concerns about your childs weight, height, or calorie intake, make sure you seek the advice of your childs Dr! Children for some weird reason grow slower as they age! Some parents seem to go with the old time remedy, feed them more they will gain more weight, or they will have a growth spurt and catch up. Sometimes thats not the case. In most cases, your childs height and weight are genetic from you and your partner and also nurtitional status and weather or not your child has any health issues. If you are uneasy about your childs development physically, Please consult a dr. about his/her issues. Ask them for a full evaluation of your child. They may want to go ahead and do some blood work and other testing on your child to try and figure out what the issue is! I have been through all of that with about 6-10 Dr's for my son. I can't stand to see him cry from having his arm pricked for blood but i just tell him this might figure out how to make you big and strong!
if after all of that, they still can't find an underlying cause to your childs low weight they may refer you to a Pediatric nutritionist and try and help you up the amount of calories your child takes in and help with some ways to get your child to eat a little more or experiement with new foods for more calories. My son has issues with swallowing foods, so his dr suggested we get an Occupational and Speech Therapist along with the Food Therapist, to try and help him develop his speech and learning a little better. And always remember, don't be offended if someone tells you what to try with your child or says your not doing something the correct way. They are there to help! Take their advice and run with it, you never know, it could be what changes everything.
I am a very worried and paranoid parent! I always research everything and talk to whoever i can to find out the true facts on anything they say is wrong with my son. I advise everyone to do the same. This is your childs health and well being we are talking about here, you always want to know exactly whats going on and what to do to fix it. Ask as many questions as you can and want, and address everything and research what you can before making any decisions.
I have did my fair share of research and i love https://magicfoundation.org Magic Foundation is a great website for information about your childs growth! You can request to talk to another parent that is having the same issues you are with your childs growth and find out all the answers to all your questions. Its worth a click.

Till Next Time
Keep Smiling and keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy