SAY GOODBYE TO SUMMER

All I can say is...I can't believe summer is almost over. It's that last long weekend of the summer season and the kids get back to school on Tuesday. OMG!

We are heading up to the cottage for a few days of rest and relaxation. I can't wait to get up to the dock.

THIS MAKES ME LAUGH

Another good one to put on your favourites list. I just discovered this blog. It is hilarious. Check it out when you need something to give you a laugh.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

I am smiling as I post this just remembering some of the cakes.

ANOTHER FIND

In my quest for knowledge, about stuff in general and blogging in particular, I have discovered another great resource. Tina Su is a successful blogger, which is great but her blog/website is a great resource for life in general. Check it out and you will see what I mean. It is great reading!

http://thinksimplenow.com/

SLEEP BABY, SLEEP ...PLEASE!

I just wanted to put the link to Dr. Heather Pizzo's website. She has a lot of great tips and advice. Check it out.

http://www.thebabysleepcoach.com/about.html

I would love to hear from other parents out there facing the sleep issue. What do you do to get your child to sleep at night? Any tips or tricks?

SLEEP BABY, SLEEP

I have blessed to have a child that has never really slept well at night. And really never has. I have also been blessed to have a child who does sleep well. Always has. The biggest challenge has been that the child that doesn't sleep well is my first born. New parents and a new, non-sleeping, baby are not a good mix. We naturally thought she would grow out of it, she never really has. I have often wondered how much of a role my husband and I played in our daughter's poor sleeping routine. Then our second daughter was born, a naturally good sleeper from the get-go, something that continues today.

I recently had the pleasure of asking a sleep expert about sleep and soothing babies. Dr. Heather Pizzo, The Baby Sleep Coach, has some great tips and advice for new and old parents. I know these tips are helping me to make changes and improvements, I hope they are helpful for you too.

THE BABY SLEEP COACH’S 7 MAGIC INGREDIENTS FOR SLEEP

1. BE CONSISTENT. Dr. Pizzo says parents need to choose a method and stick with it.

2.BE PREDICTABLE: Infants and toddlers thrive on predictability and routine. It is important for them to know what is coming next.

3.COMMUNICATE: Communication is important both between you and your spouse, and between you and your child. Parents need to be on the same page as each other.

4. FLEXIBILITY: It needs to be understood that a routine does not mean following a clock or a rigid schedule, says Dr. Pizzo.

5. SLEEP INDUCES SLEEP: A consistent bedtime routine sets your baby's internal clock so that she's naturally sleepy at a predictable time. A consistent wake up time is as important.

6. ELIMINATE ALL SLEEP AIDS: Eliminate the use of sleep aids like rocking, swinging, sucking after the age of three to four months. Babies need to fall asleep on their own.

7. TRANSITIONAL OBJECTS: Babies often choose an object as their security object, which is there for them in the night when you are not, it could be a toy or a blankie.

This was all part of research for an article I wrote for Urban Baby & Toddler, http://urbanbaby.ca/. For more on soothing your baby or helping your child get to sleep and stay asleep, check out the article in the Fall issue of the magazine.

WHAT DO I WANT IT TO BE?

I have been posting to this blog for about a year now. As I have mentioned before, I work in radio news, that's my full time gig, but I have been working as a freelance writer for about 2 years now. I would love to be able to make enough money writing articles that I could put an end to my full time gig. I have lots of ideas swirling around my head.

I originally started the blog just to keep the ideas flowing and to keep writing on a regular basis. It has certainly helped me learn to keep at it, to keep writing and to get me thinking. Now I really need to start thinking about taking this to the next level. I spend countless hours looking at other blogs, reading on the Internet and researching. There are lots of successful blogs and online business out there, especially by Moms. It is inspiring for sure.

I hope that in the months to come I can work at improving this blog and to take small steps toward my future and what I want it all to be.

GREAT FINDS #2

I just stumbled over this site. I am loving it and learning a lot.

Check it out!
http://www.problogger.net/

HUBBIE WAS GREAT!

So the Hubbie did a great job. He looked good too! Way to go Ken!

PLUG FOR MY HUBBIE

If you know me well, you already know what my husband does for a living. If you don't check out http://www.draxhall.com/ or http://ledkillalives.blogspot.com/. He is going to be on T.V. tomorrow night. Here in the Toronto area it will on Space @ 7:30 pm Eastern. It's not his first television appearance ( he is an old pro!) but first one in a a while. Check it out!

WEEKEND AT THE COTTAGE

So, I was a little stressed today ( see previous post) but I have come up with one way to chill out all on my own. We just spent last weekend at the cottage. We got back on Tuesday. So nice. Happy memories. I can feel the stress leaving me now. AHHHHH!

ONE STRESSED MAMMA!

Do you ever have those days? From the moment you get up, actually even before you get out of bed, you just know it is going to be a challenging day. Well, I was having one of those days today. I was ready to pull out my hair. The kids started fighting even before I was dressed. I hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet. By the time I had to leave for work at 4 o'clock, I was tense. No exactly the kind of mood you want to be in for a traffic riddled drive into Toronto.

What do you to shake off the stress? Any suggestions, ANYONE?