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Monday, March 16, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
My 6 Breastfeeding Must-Haves
From the moment I got pregnant almost 16 years ago, I wanted to breastfeed. After 3 unsuccessful attempts with my older children, I knew the problem was improper latch on. I just didn't know how to fix it. I won't go into too much detail here, but after less than 24 hours, my nipples would be red and sore. With Jay, after 3 days they were cracked and bleeding.
First, let me say that God knew how much breastfeeding meant to me; and He loves to give us the desires of our hearts. He led me to 6 items that have proved invaluable in this breastfeeding journey. (Baby Jay has been breastfeeding now for 11 months.) I feel led to share them with you.
First, let me say that God knew how much breastfeeding meant to me; and He loves to give us the desires of our hearts. He led me to 6 items that have proved invaluable in this breastfeeding journey. (Baby Jay has been breastfeeding now for 11 months.) I feel led to share them with you.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
4 Steps to Potty Training Made Easy!
I have four wonderful children. I have potty trained 3 of them. I still have a year left before I will start with the fourth one. The first two were easy.
Step 1: When they turned 2 years old, I stopped using diapers and put them in training panties or underwear. When they "did their business" they knew it.
Step 2: Limit fluid intake. My kids were big drinkers. I limited their fluid intake just enough so that they did not drink in excess. Which they would have!
Step 3: I took them to their own little potty chair often. At first, they didn't "do their business" every time, but I didn't want to wait for them to have an accident if I could prevent it. Soon, our routine became a habit and they associated the need to "do their business" with the potty.
Step 4: I praised them a LOT for using the potty chair. I'm a big believer in spending more time rewarding good behavior than punishing bad behavior.
Within a matter of weeks the oldest two - a girl and a boy - were completely potty trained. I really thought I knew all their was to know about the potty training business.
And then came the third child. Let me preface this next part with the fact that Jay is as different as night and day from her older siblings.
I started her out at 2 years old with the same steps that I used for Kat and CJ. She, however, didn't mind soiling her training panties... or the floor... the walls... the door... or the TV. (That was an interesting Bible Study Group night.) If you've ever seen the movie Daddy Day Care, I was Eddie Murphy in the scene when he looked into the bathroom after the little boy had messed it up. Only I was looking into her bedroom. (Shudder!)
I was consistent with her, though, so by the time she was 2 and a half years old, she was completely potty trained. In raising my children, working with children at church and in my job at the library, I have learned that they are all different. What works with one or two will not necessarily work with another. Because of this, I am already looking ahead to potty training number four.
Becky at Your Modern Family has an ebook called "Potty Train in a Weekend". She shares her tips on how to potty train a child in 3 days. I don't know about you, but I'm interested! For more info, check out her book. Click here to view more details or simply click on the picture below.
This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
I followed these 4 simple steps to Potting Training made easy.
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| 4 Steps to Potty Training Made Easy |
Step 1: When they turned 2 years old, I stopped using diapers and put them in training panties or underwear. When they "did their business" they knew it.
Step 2: Limit fluid intake. My kids were big drinkers. I limited their fluid intake just enough so that they did not drink in excess. Which they would have!
Step 3: I took them to their own little potty chair often. At first, they didn't "do their business" every time, but I didn't want to wait for them to have an accident if I could prevent it. Soon, our routine became a habit and they associated the need to "do their business" with the potty.
Step 4: I praised them a LOT for using the potty chair. I'm a big believer in spending more time rewarding good behavior than punishing bad behavior.
Within a matter of weeks the oldest two - a girl and a boy - were completely potty trained. I really thought I knew all their was to know about the potty training business.
And then came the third child. Let me preface this next part with the fact that Jay is as different as night and day from her older siblings.
I started her out at 2 years old with the same steps that I used for Kat and CJ. She, however, didn't mind soiling her training panties... or the floor... the walls... the door... or the TV. (That was an interesting Bible Study Group night.) If you've ever seen the movie Daddy Day Care, I was Eddie Murphy in the scene when he looked into the bathroom after the little boy had messed it up. Only I was looking into her bedroom. (Shudder!)
I was consistent with her, though, so by the time she was 2 and a half years old, she was completely potty trained. In raising my children, working with children at church and in my job at the library, I have learned that they are all different. What works with one or two will not necessarily work with another. Because of this, I am already looking ahead to potty training number four.
Becky at Your Modern Family has an ebook called "Potty Train in a Weekend". She shares her tips on how to potty train a child in 3 days. I don't know about you, but I'm interested! For more info, check out her book. Click here to view more details or simply click on the picture below.
This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Our Bunnies!!!
Our SURPRISE baby rabbits are 4 and a 1/2 weeks old now! Look how cute they are!!!!
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| White and Brown Baby Rabbit |
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| Black Baby Rabbit |
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| Brown Baby Rabbit |
Inexpensive Chick Brooder
Looking for an inexpensive Chick Brooder? Try using an old bathtub!
We remodeled our bathroom a few years ago and the old bathtub was out in
the garden used to grow onions in. That worked fine, but when I needed a
permanent chick brooder, I decided the bathtub would be better suited for my new project.
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| Bathtub Chick Brooder |
I put the bathtub (with help from the hubby, of course) on a little
table in the garage and then screwed it into the wall studs. Leftover hardware cloth from the rabbit pens covers the bathtub to keep the chicks in and other animals out. I cut a
re-closable window in the hardware cloth to add water and feed every
day. The heat lamp sits on top to keep the chicks warm. I put a layer of pine
chips on the bottom and the chick brooder was ready.
The chicks were 4 days old when we brought them home from the Co-Op.
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| 4 Day Old Chicks Under the Heat Lamp |
Kat (our Photographer in the making) took these pictures today. These Americauna and Gold Sex Link Pullets are 13 days old now.
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| 13 Day Old Chicks |
They are getting their feathers and becoming very curious.
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| Curious Chicks |
VERY curious!!!
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| The VERY Curious Chick |
The Bathtub Chick Brooder has plenty of room for 12 chicks, their feeder, and waterer. It effectively keeps the drafts out. I add a layer of pine chips every week to keep the Brooder as clean as possible without traumatizing the poor things. When they are about 5 weeks old (and have all their feathers), I will move them to a wire cage in the big chicken coop. This will give the older hens a chance to get used to them before the chicks join the ranks. I will post more about that in a few weeks.
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Saturday, March 7, 2015
How to Make a Milk Jug Bird Feeder
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| Bird eating from Milk Jug Bird Feeder #1 |
CJ did the research on the best way to make a Milk Jug Bird Feeder. This is how he did it.
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