How do you explain this to a 19 month old who clings to you and yells “eat eat eat”?  I thought each day would get better, but it seems each day is a little worse. It tears at your heart, I want to give in to the fact that I know she just appreciates the sheer comfort of it, but at the same time I know I’m just postponing the inevitable. So I redirect, offer attractive snacks at times and in amounts never before heard of, how about marshmallows, disgusting chemical filth I would probably not normally give you, sure you can have fistfuls, how about a sucker or cookie or here just lick the sugar from the bag. Anything to make you happy, since this is breaking my heart just a little bit. It’s made worse by knowing she’s probably going to be the baby forever and you want everything to last forever with the baby, really you just want to stop time and keep them little forever.

Except we can’t. From the minute they are born they are growing away from us, first they roll away, crawl away, walk away, eventually they make new friends and want to play with them, next they are off at school and we become less and less important until finally the day comes when they go out into the world on their own, away from us. Yet no matter where they go, there is a part of them that are always secure in our hearts and it aches a little as if a piece of us is missing, each time they grow away.

Now after all of the complaining about the challenges of nursing a breastfeeding toddler, I should celebrate. I mean really let’s review, I can drink more than an occasional glass of wine, take allergy medicine again, and I’ll never have to pull out that dreaded breast pump again. I should be pouring margaritas and toasting to the end of this era. Yet instead, I just feel sad.

Who wouldn’t want to give that face, whatever she desires!

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Me to Brecken: “Why are you freaking out?” (First time I’ve heard this phrase from him before)

Brecken to me: “I’m just freaking out”

Me to Brecken: “Oh, well you don’t have anything to freak out about, now let’s go inside the Y”

What the bloody H does a 3-year-old have to freak out about? I mean other than that he’s lost Percy again for the umpteenth time or the injustice of his bedtime or that we still make him take naps. Perhaps it’s the therapy he’s going to face later in life for having such an non-empathetic mother who ignored his tiny pleas that he was freaking out. Screw the college fund, I better start putting money in the therapy fund. Perhaps he heard it from one of us, not that we’ve been literally freaking out, but we’ve had a lot on our plate between two kids with colds and ear infections, making sure tubes were still in one child’s ears and getting ready for tubes in the other ones ears. There may have been some internal freaking out when they tested Pippa for strange and rare diseases as a result of her refusal to grow, but all came back normal and she’s apparently just stubborn or perhaps she’s freaking out she’ll be a giant someday and trying to stunt her growth by hiding in the microwave, who knows. On the other hand maybe we do freak out, sometimes.

This is what happens when your, only been 3 for like a minute year old, decides to become the tiniest backseat driver, with only a  basic understanding of driving, namely we go slow or fast and sometimes these things called signs and lights tell us to stop. Nearly every outing results in this fabulous commentary now, at some point in the last few weeks he has become an expert on driving and little will deter him from sharing his opinions. If only he were still like his sister who still falls asleep in the car the majority of the time. And to think I used to like driving in the car and taking them places.

You plan the entire night in d.e.t.a.i.l. and nothing will deter you. Your favorite restaurant doesn’t take reservations on Valentines Day, eh what’s a two-hour wait when you have nothing better to do. You go to your favorite italian restaurant, wearing a new outfit after having spent an afternoon admiring the flowers you received. You order whatever you like and stuff yourself silly while drinking copious amounts of wine and watching gossiping about all the other people around you and what they’re doing. Then you head home to do unspeakable things that will launch you into the next phase of Valentines Day.

Phase 2: Valentines Day with a New Baby-

It’s okay, a new baby doesn’t have to change things. Maybe you don’t want to pay a babysitter while you sweat out the 2 hour wait at the bar for your favorite restaurant. Pshhh no biggy you can go to a restaurant that you enjoy that’s not your favorite. You make a reservation, hire a babysitter, skip a new outfit for yourself, outfit your new baby in something ridiculous that says something like Mommy’s Little Heart Throb and in a mildly panicky state you hand over your new baby to some teenager while you go out to enjoy an adult evening without the youngster. You spend the entire evening talking about your baby, rationalizing that it’s totally normal as is your irrational fright that the babysitter has somehow put him in the clothes washer and turned it on, how misguided were you trusting today’s  youth, and eats a little faster. Then you go home, find relief that the not so misguided youth has actually kept your baby alive and put him to sleep so you proceed to do unspeakable things that will launch you into the next phase of Valentines Day.

Phase 3: Valentines Day with Multiple Children Under 3-

You’ve now rationalized that your husband’s recent sporting goods purchase is gift enough, chalk up the sweater you bought earlier in the week to your gift and consider major gifts done. You find yourself eating a heart-shaped pizza the day before Valentines Day with the kidlets in tow because you just have too much going on on the real day to get any kind of “special meal” in. You haul the kids to Barnes and Nobles to pick out Valentines Day gifts, where they are enamored with the train table and could care less about the books. You dash into the local candy store for your husbands favorite chocolate covered potato chips, buy your favorite candy as well and call the day done. You prop the candy up with the new pilates mat you bought him, which you would have bought him anyway and are good to go. You can cross Valentines Day off your never ending to do list and go back to getting things ready for a birthday part this weekend and all the other shit you have to do. New outfits for anyone? Hahaha, you just hope you made it through the day matching and with clothes that aren’t covered with stains, snot and food bits. If it’s a good day you’ve remembered the kids should wear red/pink, but really it was whatever you grabbed out of the drawer first that was seasonally appropriate.

Valentines Day Done. 

Happy Valentines Day from My Cracked Pot to Yours!

and in case you need a last-minute e-card, here’s a few of my favorites

Happy Valentines Day

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We’ve also hit that stage where you can tell people think it’s weird that we’re still nursing. If they were to ask, which no one does, the reasons are multiple. In fact I’ll tell you, maybe I’ll get a few less strange looks. They include the fact that she doesn’t sleep through the night and if I want her to sleep past 3 a.m. it’s a must, she’s pretty small for her age and not particularly fond of whole milk, so we’d like her to drink something, and if you were to get over your cultural biases it’s actually totally freaking normal, just not particularly convenient. This last point, combined with the fact that not everyone can nurse, is what I attribute to this country’s viewpoint on breastfeeding. We’re selfish as a country, we like ourselves and our freedoms and Mama’s who breastfeed give up even more of their time (think pumping, planning, nursing time) than those who use formula, time which is can be very valuable when you have little ones. This along with the fact that there is some strange stigma about a baby nursing as compared to someones boob hanging out of their dress, that makes us just nonsensical as a nation. Not that it keeps the creepers from staring at you in public, even when you’re covered up.

So the next time you see a Mama nursing, don’t stare or gawk, just know she’s doing it for reasons that must be pretty important to her and leave her the heck alone, and if the nursing one is a toddler then she really must have her reasons because I assure you no one nurses a toddler for funsies!

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As a parent, or perhaps as a neurotic parent like me, you’re frequently running through paranoid situations in your head, anticipating all the horrible dangers in the world your children can get into. On Friday, one of these paranoid predictions came true. I was in the bathroom and putting some items way in the living room and had left Pippa(15m) in the playroom. She wasn’t gated in or anything, our house is small enough and loud enough you can generally hear the kids move around. However, I had the television on and it must have muffled her out. I found her sitting in the middle of the kitchen with the bag of dishwasher pods, a half eaten pod dangling from her mouth, with dishwashing powder everywhere. I PANICKED. I grabbed her and rushed to the sink, she promptly threw up a disturbing stream of soapy/powdery vomit and I frantically rinsed everything I could from her mouth and then her shirt. I then grabbed the dishwasher soap bag and read. It said if ingested drink water and call your physician. I grabbed a sippy and a straw since I knew the straw would entice her to drink, fed her as much water as I could and then tossed her into her high chair, buckled her in and grabbed the phone. All this felt like an eternity but probably took 2 minutes. After another 5 I got ahold of a nurse who gave me poison controls number and said she would check on us in a bit. I called poison control who took all of our information and put us on hold while she researched the product.

When she got back on the line, she said those wonderfully magic words that will stay with me for life, this product has low toxicity so she should be just fine! Visions of running to the emergency room, having her tiny stomach pumped were suddenly released and I could breathe. We had to monitor her for an hour to ensure she didn’t develop any sores on her mouth or vomit again but after that we could resume all normal activities. Both poison control and the nurse from our doctor’s office checked back with us to see how she was doing (which was fine, a million times better than myself). Relief felt, lesson learned. So THANK YOU, Honest Company for making a product that is safe for use on my dishes and not so bad if ingested, albeit I wouldn’t recommend it. But that’s what kids do, they get into stuff when we’re not looking (and in this case when we forget to lock the baby cabinet lock). It makes me all the more determined to continue to try to use products that are not only better for our bodies but safer in general should little hands find them. Have your little ones every ingested anything they shouldn’t have? What did you do?

What? Did I do something I wasn’t supposed to??????

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I pierced ears on again off again during breaks from college and law school over the course of roughly six (6) years and pierced the ears of tiny babies all the way to my grandmother’s second set of pierced earring holes. During all of this time, I was a childless observer fascinated by the strange anthropology behind ear-piercing. Whilst on vacation, I came across this article on my Facebook page There’s Nothing Cruel about Piercing My Baby’s Ears and desperately wanted to respond. I also desperately wanted to vacation, so I went back to whatever we were doing at the time and didn’t. But let me tell you it’s been nagging me. I wouldn’t say that piercing an infant’s ears is cruel, it’s your legal right as the baby’s guardian, and in the store I worked, after 12 weeks of age or their first shots, for a fee we would happily accommodate your request, but I did learn a thing or two in those six (6) years, and unfortunately for you, I feel the need to share them:

(1) Own up to the fact that this is YOUR choice, not your under 5 year old’s choice. At age infant, 1, 2, 3 and even 4 and 5 they really don’t understand the process or responsibility of the commitment they’re making (or you’re making on their behalf), nor can they care for their ears themselves without at least some assistance.

(2) Ears Grow/Develop. I won’t even begin to tell you how many people out there do not understand the fact that your ears grow and as they grow they change/shift etc. Which is why second to children getting their first piercing one of the next most popular request came from women who had had their ears pierced as infants or small children and now wanted one hole fixed/moved because they are no longer symmetrical. This can be done, only problem is often that first hole has been there so long, no matter what happens it won’t close again.

(3) Ear piercing involves a commitment to personal hygiene. Kids are dirty nasty little creatures, seriously, it amazes me where they collect dirt from. Especially behind and near their ears. Consequently, their ears get infected more frequently than adults, they also tend to do harm to their ears through sporting events, playing, pulling and tugging on their ears, more often than adults. Consequently, if your wee one wants “pretties” on her ears, make sure you/she fully understand the road ahead. Proper ear cleaning is just another thing to add to the never-ending Mommy task list.

(4) If you do decide to get her ears pierced and they do get infected, take the earring out, clean it out with ear care solution, alcohol or HP and let it dry up, if that doesn’t happen then take her to her pediatrician. Do not take her oozing, puss covered and earring still in place because you don’t want pay for another piercing back to the ear piercer for advice. A good one will tell you what I just did and a bad one will remind you they’re probably in college and have no idea, worst they will try to give you medical advice.

(5) Remember how amazed you were when your super advanced genius baby got out of her crib all by herself or crawled while standing on her head, that same baby is just as likely to rip out those earrings and eat them. For that reason alone, most pediatricians will tell you to wait.

(6) From experience, for as many children under 5 we pierced, we re-pierced the same set of children between the ages of 8-12 when their first holes had long closed up because they either weren’t ready or had allergy issues and we’re giving it a second go. This is a much better and more successful age for ear-piercing, because they not only fully understand the process and commitment but can be a willing participant in the process knowing full well it’s their choice.

So when you pierce your daughter’s or son’s ears is totally up to you, and no it’s not cruel, but at the same time maybe it isn’t really the best decision either, I’m not telling you not to do it, just to really think through the consequences.

English: A little girl getting her ears pierced. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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2012 TOP (MOSTLY) NATURAL TOY LIST FOR THE HOLIDAYS

1.  THE WHEELY PIG (OR OTHER WHEELY ANIMAL)

Wheely Pig

We bought this fantastic little scooter from amazon.com and made by Prince Lionheart in a size large for Brecken’s 2nd Birthday.

Pippa is now starting to play with it as well, and it has gotten tons of use and is a favorite around here, I would recommend getting the large between the two sizes to ensure the most use!

2. PLAN TOYS DELUXE TRAIN SET

Deluxe Train Set

This is a great starter train set and has tons of additional pieces that can be added to it.

We really love Plan Toys although I wish they would make more toys that are focused on girls, they have a lot more available for little boys if you ask me.

I don’t remember where I bought it from but it is available on amazon.com and anywhere they sell Plan Toys.

3. RADIO FLYER PUSH WAGON

Wagon

This wagon is made from wood except the wheels and is the perfect size for a new walker to push around.

My son received this Radio Flyer cart as a gift his first Christmas at 10 months old and was quickly pushing it around before he could walk without it.

Both my daughter and my son (now almost 3) still play with it, pushing Pippa around in it or loading it with toys. It is available at Target.com, Amazon and lots of other places!

4. BABY STELLA DOLL

Baby Stella Doll

Pippa adores here Baby Stella Doll and has recently (at 14 almost 15 months) grown quite attached to it.

She loves to carry it on and give the “behbee” her pacifier. She has chosen this doll over her Waldorf doll, which while a Waldorf doll is an amazing but spendy natural choice, this doll is much softer

and I can understand the appeal. There are also a lot of options for soft accessories for this Baby including a doll carrier which she will be getting for Christmas. This doll comes in other ethnicities as well and  is available at Barnes and Noble and other great retailers!

5.  MELISSA AND DOUG TOOL KIT

Tool Kit

Brecken received this as a gift last year and at 22 1/2 months had no problem using it although he could not do all of the intended uses without help. Not at 34 1/2 months he

has really blossomed as a little tool master, creating and building things. He also loves that it reminds him of Papa’s tools! This can be bought at most department/toy stores and

wherever Melissa and Doug is sold.

6. PINKY VANITY by WONDERWORLD

Pinky Vanity

This is a super cute wooden vanity that is just perfect for storing all those hair bows and accessories for the little girl in your life!

While Pippa doesn’t actually play with it since I store her hair accessories in it, it is super cute and you could let them play with it. It’s strong wooden construction and has soft easily accessible drawers!

It can be purchased on amazon.com or at wonderworldtoys.com

7. KNIGHTS AND DRAGON PLAY SET BY THE ORIGINAL TREE SWING

Knights & Dragon Play Set

What an adorable little set made entirely out of reclaimed wood and finished in beeswax or mineral oil. This little set, especially the Dragon is very popular in our house.

Brecken loves to make the Dragon roar and ride around the playroom. It is also a great accessory to some of the larger sets available including the Castle Block Set or Knight & Horses Play Set.

These can be purchased at The Original Tree Swing and are made in the great state of Minnesota!!! Also check out their AMAZING tree swings, which I’ve discussed here when we were luck enough to win one!

8. BLOCKS BY GREEN TOYS

Blocks

These super fun and super lightweight blocks are made from 100% recycled milk cartons. Even better they are made in the USA and contain none of that icky chemical junk normally found in

plastic toys (no PVC, BPA phthalates or external coating). We’ve had lots of fun building castles and such with these easy stackable blocks!

They can be found at greentoys.com along with lots of other fun recycled toys.

9. IMAGINARIUM WOODEN MUSIC TABLE

Wooden Music Table

We have the prior version of this and it has provided lots of musical entertainment, especially with the drum portion. It is made almost entirely of wood and has withstood

both of my children crawling on and all over it. Available through Amazon.com and Toys R Us.

10. LUKAS DOLL BY HABA

Lukas Doll

YES-BOYS CAN PLAY WITH DOLLS TOO. Get over it. We bought Brecken a Lukas doll for his very 1st Christmas and SADLY we took him to Colorado on vacation and

somewhere along the way he found a new home and didn’t make it back with us. I am considering buying him another because he is very into dolls now, especially with his baby sister’s new-found interest in

“behbees.” These dolls are hand washable, modern and very adorable. They are softer but still very structured so as to hold up well when dragged around. I just noticed that they  also have a Philippa doll which I can

see in Pippa’s future, given her name. They can be purchased through haba.com or retailers that carry Haba products.

So there you have it, my top 10 recommendations for (mostly) green toys for 2012. Now can someone please tell me what to buy my kids?

Disclaimer: These thoughts are my own, these toys were purchased by myself, friends or relatives for the benefit of my children and none of these products were given to us. We have been in no way compensated for these reviews but am really just sick of how few suggested holidays toys lists contain green/non plastic/non licensed/ semi or totally natural toys! Rant DONE. Enjoy. If you have suggestions for the list please leave them in the comments, I would love to add to this list or provide another next year. Hopefully you’ve already gotten your Holiday shopping complete and don’t even need these.

Happy Holidays from My Cracked Pot to yours!