Secret to Success-Monday

Momentum Monday: Spaaaaahhhh…Why Pampering Yourself DAILY is the Secret to Success

Getting Rid of the Pacifier

Oh my it has come to that time, that I really want to wean my daughter off her pacifier. She is year and a half now and I don't believe in having bad habits. Yes it is a soothing tool for her. I want her to learn how to soothe herself without a pacifier, her thumb or even her laying on my chest. According to the Baby Center, some pediatricians and speech experts say 12 months is a good time to wean your child from the pacifier because this marks the beginning of a dramatic speech development phase. If your child often has a pacifier in his mouth, he may be less likely to babble and practice talking, or the pacifier may distort his speech. I do find her sometimes trying to talk with the pacifier in her mouth, and I remind her to talk it out so Mommy can understand she is trying to say. I also read it will lessen the chance of developing ear infections. I normally give it to her at night and when she has the urge to want to put her thumb in her month. Some people say its better for her to suck on her pacifier than her thumb. Unfortunately I disagree because, I definitely don't want her past the age of two sucking her thumb. I'm so sorry. There are people in the teens and some adults who still suck their thumb. That is not cute. Some habits needs to be broken.

Here are some tips to help your baby get rid of  the pacifier

• The power of the pacifier
• 1. Make it taste bad
• 2. Give it away
• 3. Go cold turkey
• 4. Take it away gradually
• 5. Take it away early
• 6. Sabotage it
• 7. Leave it for the Binky Fairy
• 8. "Lose" it
• 9. Read books about it
• 10. Let nature take its course

Happy Getting Rid of the Pacifier :)

Happy Valentine's Day. My daughter look so cute today going to school and will be doing her first Valentine's Day party with her friends.

Traveling with a baby

Me & Autumn went to Atlanta this weekend to see my parents, sister and brother. This isn't my first time traveling with her on a plane. However, I see as she get older she gets a little more active and hard to keep still. I learn more with each trip to pack the bare necessities and have the right things accessible. I was proud of myself this time to see that I was able to manage carry my laptop, diaper bag, carry on bag, jackets and her with out any problems. We were able to have an empty seat next to us so that way she could stretch out. During take off, I thought she would just doze off but no she just kept fighting her sleep and kept trying to keep me from taking a nap. She is something else. Every time I closed my eyes, she would slap my face to have me open it. It was Funny, she needs all the attention.

Here are some tips to know when traveling on a plane with a infant

• Babies must be at least 7 days old to fly. (Some airlines allow younger infants with a doctor's written permission; others extend the minimum age up to 14 days or have additional restrictions.)

• Lap babies (under age 2)( I'm taking advantage of this)..They fly free on domestic flights, usually one per paying adult; you may need to present proof of age. This does save you MONEY, but it's important to note that babies riding airplanes are safest in government-approved car seat. 

• Airline policies for families vary widely. Many rules, including whether to allow pre-boarding, are at the discretion of the gate agent. The best advice is to call ahead and ask the following questions, but be prepared for possible changes at the gate

• Also, you can bring on more than one bag on board when you have an infant (this will save on the price

• Children ages 2 and up must have a ticket for their own seat.

• You can check your stroller and usually car seat when you board and pick it up as you exit the plane. Car seat can be checked on the plane free of charge too.

• Bring a diaper bag filled with milk, juice, snacks and toys. Depending on your flight time, babies are still babies and need to eat and play

• You have to keep toodlers entertain. I usually sing songs, play hand games and even allow her to listen to her favorite songs on an IPOD 

• Prepare a travel kits with first aid kit, antibacterial wipes, and clothing.

The Healthiest Cheap Food in America | Eat This, Not That

The Healthiest Cheap Food in America | Eat This, Not That

Lifestyle Changes

Hello World...

I had a busy weekend but an enjoyable one. Me & Autumn had our time out this weekend. She never fails to amaze me. One moment she is on my nerves and the next I can't get enough of my princess. She is truly is the best of me.

So as we are in a new year and already one month in...I had been thinking a lot of getting me back to ME. Before I had my daughter, I was really in shape. I exercise..ate healthy and really was staying in shape. I believe those habits helped me have a great pregnancy. Post pregnancy, I went through some major changes. I did lose all my baby weight and then some. I was happy but I lost of some of my muscle tone. When I went back to work..the weight came back on as I wasn't nursing as much and eating out more. So as I looked at myself, I notice I am not as healthy as I was before and it was seriously time to invest back into my health.

I read so much about weight loss and healthy living. I realize the best thing is creating a healthy lifestyle which will contribute to eating better, losing weight and feeling really good about yourself.
So I made a conscious decision that I need to get back to healthy habits for me and for my family. I'm not getting any younger per se ( well..I still have my youthful look).

So these are some tips I am going to implement for 2011

1. Drink plenty water...(I admit I was drinking a lot of juice full of sugar..no more..WATER..WATER and MORE WATER)
2. Eat Breakfast (Ugh..growing up this was always an issue for me..My mother blasted me about this over and over so I must force myself to eat something even if it a powerbar)
3. Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day ( Seriously when I was focus on weight loss never understood why should I eat more. I read something that said Eat More Lose More which help boost the metabolism. I do tend to eat just one time a day or two big meals. So I will try this method and see ;0)
4. Exercise. ( my issue is time. Between work and Autumn, and school my time is limited but I will try)
5.  Stay Focus and Be Positive. This is about me and making sure I am healthy to take care of my family.

The first night of a new Bed routine

Well the had come where I had to put my foot down a new routine. After the past few nights of being restless...I could not take it no more. Last night, I laid Autumn for bedtime earlier than I have ever done. I came home for work..gave her warm bath first...prepare dinner ...read stories and played with her and then by 9pm..lights were out. Now honestly, I felt this was not going to happen with me getting her to bed early each night. I don't get home from work until 715pm. So I had her bedtime at around 10 to 1030pm. At first it was working for 10pm but she really started wanting to stay up later and sleep later.

I realize she is not getting enough sleep especially the 10-12 hours of sleep she needs. Myself, definitely is not getting enough rest. So when I laid her down around 9pm..of course she cried and cried. I left the room..took a shower and she was still whinning. So here comes Daddy asking was I tryting to have her to bed by 830pm. I said yes, she needs rest and so do I. Like I knew it, he went in the room to soothe her. I was mad. I don't want my princess to cry but at the same time I know she is tired and needs sleep. I was realizing how dyfuncitional our household was becoming with her basically in control. She is cranky in the morning and I'm moody too. I was gulity to fact that I didn't think I was spending enough time with her afterwork since we both are gone 10 hours a day. However I try to make most of our weekend. I will keep track of how this new bedtime routine goes for the both of us.

However, I want her to be happy. So after last night of her going to bed early..(yes she woke up again at 2am and did not go back to sleep until a little after 3am..I let her cry and of course I couldn't sleep) I notice an improvement of how happy she was this morning ready for school.