Looking for tips about toddlers and pets?  I don’t have them.  But, I need them.  My toddler is so rough with our dog.  She seems to think it’s a funny game.  Fortunately we have a very calm and laid back dog who would never do anything to our toddler.  But, of course she still can’t be mean and think it’s funny. It’s making me pull my hair. I think I would rather go get a colon cleansing then deal with this, just kidding, LOL!

Any helpful ideas?

Acne can be very difficult to treat.  My teenage daughter has terrible acne.  We have tried every over the counter acne treatment there is.  And we have tried all sorts of prescribed treatments as well.  We have finally found something that is working for her.  I have seen her self esteem go way up since her acne has started to clear up.  Different things work for different people and it can be hard to know what treatments to use.  There is a lot of information on the Internet so check out the zit creams and see what you can find that will work for you.

If you or someone you know suffers from acne then you know what a painful condition it can be.  There are misconceptions that those who have acne are dirty or eat too much junk food.  But that just isn’t the case.  Acne needs to be treated medically for some people.  There are a lot of acne treatments to look into.  Don’t give up hope. Do a simple search for best acne products , you’ll find something. Then call your doctor to see if it will work for you.

I am sure many people will be taking some road trips this summer, including me.  The idea of taking a road trip with your children might sound as good as getting some teeth pulled without any Novocaine, or getting Plano porcelain veneers . Or maybe that’s just me.

I found a great article from parents.com with several suggestions to help make those car rides more bearable.  Here’s a few of my favorite choices:

1. Bring a cookie sheet and magnetic numbers or letters
2. Bring along a Travel ‘N Go Doodle
3. Add a toy steering wheel so your child can pretend to drive.
4. If you’re bringing along any new toys make sure you have scissors to get the toy out of the packaging.

Being a mom can be a pretty tough job.  Being a stay at home mom can be a pretty tough job too.  I know that being a working mom is also difficult.  But, from the social aspect- being a stay at home mom can be hard.  Stay at home moms are home all day with their children without much time for adult conversation.  And often times when your husband gets home- he’s been working all day and wants a little break.  So, while you may be ready to talk, your husband may be ready to relax.

The best thing to do is to find some female friends.  For me, it’s hard to find and make friends.  One thing I have done to find some friends is to join The Mom Blogs forum.  There are some really great moms there who are willing to help out with questions or concerns or just chat.  Having that female conversation and bonding time is important.  Many times other moms are the only ones who can understand what you’re going through.  For me- my husband doesn’t understand many of the things I worry about.  He thinks I overreact.  But, my mommy friends understand completely.

Since it’s online that means I can talk and use live chat software when I have the time.  I would highly recommend joining this group of ladies if you are looking for some friends!

Is it possible to work from home when you have a toddler in the house?  I know my situation is a little different than most in that both my husband and I work from home.  That does make it a little easier on us because my husband can occasionally keep our toddler occupied while I work.  But, for the most part, most of the taking care of the toddler falls on me.  So, I have come up with a few tips that work for me to be able to get my work done while keeping our toddler happy.

1. Have a schedule, but keep it flexible.  With your schedule you need to make sure to have time for several little breaks.  Stop your work and play with your toddler for 15 minutes or so, giving your undivided attention to your child.
2. Have special toys that your child can play with while you are working.  Only bring these toys out while you are working so your child does not bored with those toys.
3. Give your toddler special jobs to do.  My toddler always opens the mail for me.  She loves to do it and it’s good for fine motor skills.
4. I try to do as much communication as possible through email.  That way if my first chance to respond to someone is at 11pm, that’s okay.  A phone call at that time is not okay. Or use a mass notification system.
5. Do your housework- dishes, laundry, dusting, vacuuming while your toddler is awake.  My toddler loves to help with these jobs.  I give her a dusting cloth and she works right along side of me.  Then when she takes her nap and goes to bed I can get my computer work done.
6. Keep in mind what really matters.  Your clients or your child?  Seems pretty obvious right?  In a few years your child will be off to school and busy with friends most of the time.  So, make sure to get lots of quality time in now, while your child still wants to be with you.

Getting your young child to brush his or her teeth can be a struggle, especially with toddlers.  But of course, having good dental hygiene is important, so what should you do?

Find out if the problem stems from a behavior issue- a power struggle, or a sensitivity issue- it hurts.  If it is a sensitivity issue you will need talk to your childs dentist about a different way to brush your child’s teeth.

If it’s about a power struggle you will want to make the process more fun.  Here are a few ideas:

1. Let your child pick out several different toothbrushes.  Then each time he brushes his teeth he can pick a different toothbrush.
2. Brush your child’s teeth while she is brushing yours.

implant dentist Plano

3. Make it a part of your daily routine- always right after breakfast and again before bed time.  Or whatever times work for you.
4. Have your child make fun noises while you brush his teeth.  Roar like a lion, growl like a bear, etc.
5. Let her brush her teeth herself and praise her for doing a great job.
6. Offer stickers for rewards.
7. Don’t stress about it, your child knows when you’re getting tense or stressed and it only makes the situation worse.
8. Talk to your child’s pediatrician or dentist to get more advice.

I am starting to plan my daughter’s birthday party which will take place sometime in October.  So it’s time to buy some invitations for the party.  I think it might be easier to order something online so that I don’t have to hand-write all of the invitations.  So I was checking out 123print and all of the choices they have.  You can get custom business cards, postcards, calendars, stickers, etc.  There are tons of choices!  I am thinking about having postcards printed for birthday invitations.  Business cards are also really cheap so I might even use something like that- it’d be fun and different!

What can you do to help your teenager have good self esteem?  It’s so hard at that age with all of the hormones rushing through their bodies.  Their bodies are changing, they have such mood swings, they start to worry about their appearance, all of that kind of stuff.  So, what can you do?

1. Encourage healthy eating.  You don’t want to push too much or too little.  Your kids can sit around and eat junk food but you don’t want to deprive them of it either.
2. Encourage exercise.  Again- an area to be careful in.
3. If needed, let your teen have get the best acne treatments.  Having a lot of acne can really ruin ones self esteem.
4. Encourage their interests.  Don’t push yours onto your child- he or she has a mind of his or her own.

Things have really changed lately.  For one thing I am working again.  Not that I ever really stopped working- being a mom is the hardest job I have ever had.  But I am also working outside of the home again.  It’s only for a few hours each day, so I am only away from my daughter for a little while.  But it still hurts my heart that I am away from her.  It makes me want to cry every day when I go.  The job is okay- it goes by fast, but I still feel like I should be home with my daughter until she goes to school.  It would be nice if my husband gave me some chocolate candies.  It might make feel a little better.