Here's a news flash, kids don't like to brush their teeth. Bribes don't work. You can't exactly offer a cookie as a reward for brushing their teeth! And, if they do brush, it's on their own terms. They'll bite down on the brush and suck out all the toothpaste and water, leaving a mangled mess. If your kids are anything like mine, they will fight you the whole time, making it aggravating to continue to brush. So, I've found a solution. TWO TOOTH BRUSHES!
First, you give them a tooth brush with a little bit of toothpaste, no fluoride of course. Then you let them go at it for a while in front of the mirror. They have the tooth brush and it's on their terms. Applaud them and say that it's your turn to brush. At this point, they usually fight you, right? Not this time. You pull out a second tooth brush and just go over what they already brushed. This works in 3 ways. They get to keep the original tooth brush. They can't bite down on yours, because they'll already be biting down on theirs, allowing you to brush all around. By the way, their tooth brush will be the one that's mangled after the first day. They'll chew the hell out of that thing. Just be sure to keep the "good one" for yourself. Otherwise, you'll have two chewed up brushes by the second day. Good luck, and I hope it works for you. It works like a charm for me.
Attention Parents,
If you bring your kids to the park, PLAY WITH THEM!! I have 2 of my own kids to play with. It's already hard enough for me to keep track of them, running in opposite directions. As it is, I have to have eyes in the back of my head just to make sure one of them doesn't take a header off the top slide. It never fails. Everytime I take the kids to the park, there is always some mom (I'm assuming it's the mom) that's on a cell phone or reading a book, while their kid bothers me or my kids. When I say bother, I don't mean the kid comes up and says "Hi." These kids stand a little too close and say "My dad and mom don't live together" or something awkward like that. What the hell do I say to that? It's usually, "That's nice," and I move on. Or worse, the kids try and grab or push one of my kids out of their way. I don't want to touch the other kid, so I usually just say "Let's be nice." and move my kids to another part of the play area, which they are most happy to oblige.
The worst time was when I was at the swings with my kids. A little boy comes up to me when I'm pushing both of them on the swing. He doesn't ask, but demands that I pick him up, put him in the swing, and push him. I say that it wouldn't be appropriate to do that and that he shouldn't ask strange men to pick him up. Now he's screaming "Come on, Come on!" I look over and I see the mom next to me give me the "Don't look at me, I don't know what to do" look. So I say, "where's your mom?" The kid points to an older woman about 20 feet away with her back turned, smoking a cigarette (don't get me started on that), on a cell phone. "That's my grandma." I tell him that she needs to put him in and push him. Thankfully, the mom next to me pushes the kid out of the way (not even kidding, she actually pushed him) and told him that when his grandma comes over, he can have the swing back. She then puts her own kid in and starts swinging. Okay, that was funny, and put me in a better mood. I gave her the "Thank you" nod.
The fact is, I'm a complete stranger. These parents should be mindful of who their kids are talking to and where they are AT ALL TIMES! I don't want to single anyone out, but I have never seen a dad at the park not running around and playing with their kids. The one dad I saw that was on a phone was on a bluetooth and still managed to climb the plastic ladder with his two sons at the same time. Whenever these annoying kids interrupt me, It's always the mom, grandmother, or babysitter way off to the side completely engrossed in something other than their kid. I don't blame the kids for annoying me one bit. It's absolutely not their fault. If these parents would take part and play with them, it would absolutely not be an issue. Plus, kids have more fun when you're involved. If you can't be involved with your kid at the park, then don't bring them. If it's just fresh air you want, then crack open a window and don't bother me!
A great way to cool off in the heat is a smoothie. After bartending in a restaurant for 8 years, I got pretty good at making them. The best way to sneak in some veggies is to blend it in with a smoothie. However, don't make the mistake of just throwing it in. For example, I wanted to make the kids a strawberry, banana, and oj smoothie. I also wanted to add a bit of broccoli. If you just throw it in, the consistency is grainy and bulky. The kids will spit it out and never trust another smoothie again. If you just take a moment to lightly steam it, the bulkiness of the broccoli is gone. Because it's softer, the blender will just obliterate it. Next time the kids want to cool off, leave the ice cream in the fridge and try this smoothie recipe.
Peel an orange and break it up into sections. Add half a banana and some strawberries ( I buy in bulk and vacuseal them). Throw in some lightly steamed broccoli, not too much or the kids will catch on! Then add some oj and blend. When you have a good watery consistency, add some crushed ice and blend until smooth. Then just sit back and watch your kids drink veggies. It might take a few tries to get the portions down, but they will enjoy it. I drink the extra amount in the blender and I hate veggies, really really hate veggies. That says something!
Have you ever left your kid at the park and not noticed until later that day? Me neither, thank God! But I did leave the stroller. I knew there would be hell to pay for forgetting it. After dragging the kids away from the playground, I managed to load them both into their car seats with their requisite snacks and waters. On days like that, I'm just glad I remembered the kids. Now, I've taken them to the park dozens of times and I have yet to see them or any other kid say "Well, I've had enough. Let's go home." It doesn't happen. Kids leave the park kicking and screaming, for the most part. So, it's understandable that you may drive off without the stroller. Try explaining how you can leave an expensive stroller at the park and not look like a bumbling idiot. I checked with security and no one had turned it in. Big surprise! I can only hope that the people who have it need it more than us. Thankfully, we have a tandem stroller that I'm periodically reminded is too bulky for certain situations. So remember, if you have a choice, remember the kid and forget the stroller. You can replace a stroller!
Tip #1
Always have at least one towel in the car. If you live in a hot area like Las Vegas, or it just happens to be a hot and sunny day, be sure to have a towel on hand. You'll need it to cover your child's car seat that faces the sun when you park. I have 2 car seats that are on either side of the car. On hot, sunny days, you'll always have one seat that is sitting in the sun. Cover the seat with the towel. It sounds brainless, but you'll feel like a real tool when you go to put your kid in the seat and it's on fire! I take it a step further and look at where the sun is and how long I'll be in the parking space. Sometimes I'll end up covering a seat that's shaded, just to come back and have it cooking in the sun! Towels are a must, not to mention the endless uses for them in a car with 2 kids.
It's completely acceptable for a woman to stay home with the kids. Traditionally, that's what women do, right? Tell a stay at home mom that she's unemployed and see what happens. Ten out of ten times she'll say that she has a job, she just doesn't get a paycheck. Now what happens to a man that stays home? He's unemployed. Or at least that's what some people and father in laws think! Not naming names! After about a week of staying home with the kids, I felt like I wasn't contributing. It's definitely a hit to the ego. I discussed getting a night job, but since my wife is working on her masters, there just wasn't enough time in the day. As it is, I'm working overtime as a sahd. My wife leaves for work at about 7:00am and gets home at 4:00. After a quick bite, it's upstairs to study. She's usually done by about 6:30 or 7:00pm. I don't take anything away from her because I know she works hard. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm responsible for these 2 for about 12hrs a day. Think about that the next time you get to go to the bathroom with the door closed!!!
It doesn't matter that I paid for a dream wedding, supported my wife through nursing school, bought her a car right after graduation, and paid the rent and then mortgage for 10 years. Some people just see a guy sittin' at home with kids running around. Well, guess what. It's just as hard a job for a man as it is for a woman. Sometimes you just have to push ego aside and do what's right for the family. In our case, I have to stay home, at least until these two go to school. Then it's time for a job with a paycheck. Family first, then career.
