Giving Your Child the Gift of Sleep- Five Tips

We had a little bit of a car ride back from visiting my in-laws yesterday and got home just past JDaniel’s bed time. He was wide awake. Rather than rush him off to bed and have him cry and cry, I decided to stick with his regular sleep routine.

What do I do?
1.We go upstairs and take a bath every other night.

2.I put on his sleeper suit and he selects a pacifier for the night.

3.We go into the bathroom and he brushes his teeth. Then I brush his teeth.

4.My husband, JDaniel and I watch Curious George during the week and Bob the Builder on weekends. (PBS airs different shows on weekends.)

5.We read two or three books as a family.

6.I carry him to bed and give him his blessing. (I say, “Mommy loves you, Daddy loves you, and God loves you. May God bless you with the sleep you need and someday welcome you into His Kingdom.”)

What are some sleep tips?
•Keeping a routine for JDaniel has been key to his getting good sleep.

•Giving him time to wind down after running around really seems to prepare him for rest. (We read books and watch Curious George to do that.)

•I have kept his bed clear of stuff .(toys, books, blankets) He does have extra pacifiers in his crib.

•I reassure him with his blessing as I put him into his crib that sleep is a good thing.

•I don’t rush in if he cries during the night. He sometimes wakes up for a minute or two and then goes back to sleep. If I rush in, he is up for hours.

For a chance to win a St. Eve Kids Cozy enter at twittermoms.com. Warm and cute, the Cozy is a snuggly blanket that has sleeves so your child can relax in comfort. St. Eve Kids also offer a line of plush kids sleepwear, loungewear and underwear that feature the characters of DramaU.net exclusive to their brand.

Christmas Breakfast- Muffin Tin Monday

This week’s theme is Christmas breakfast. I decided to read JDaniel the book Cock-A-Doodle Christmas by Will Hillenbrand and base most of his breakfast on the book. Before I describe his tin, let me tell you about this great book. The main character in the book is a rooster named Harold who lives in Bethlehem. Harold is given the job of waking up the animals in the morning by Old Rooster when Old Rooster retires and moves down the road to his sister’s farm. Harold doesn’t feel up to the job. He in fact doesn’t cock-a-doodle do loud enough for several days he is on the job and all the animals are late getting their work done. One evening a young woman expecting a baby and her husband come to rest in the stable. That night Harold sees a bright star, he hears voices in the distance rejoicing in song, and shepherds come to worship the baby. Harold wonders what is going on. He hears a shepherd say that Good News is here. He hears that that is hope for a new day. He doesn’t understand. He turns to baby and sees love and understanding. Harold feels a special joy and understands that his life will never been the same again. He next day he can’t wait to share it. Harold says, “Cock-A- Doodle Doo! Good News for You!” He says it a loud as he can.



Daniel had a mixed tin. He had chocolate chip muffins that represent the sweetness of Harold’s message. He had Golden Grahams to represent the rough cloth the baby would be wrapped in. He had the boiled egg to represent the bright shining star. He had apple and butternut squash yogurt to represent the vegetables the animals would have eaten. He had the reindeer pear because I thought it would be cute. It doesn’t fit in the story in anyway.

Trusting Someone Else's Plan through Prayer

We just got back from visiting my in-laws in Georgia. They are such an amazing couple. My father in-law’s health has been failing and he had to move to a hospital area in their retirement community until he gets stronger. He really wants to come home. JDaniel2 works hard every day to walk more, eat better, and rest. He has had heart problems for a long time and we don’t know how long we will have him. It doesn’t seem to faze him. He is motivated to gain strength. It was amazing watch my mother in-law interact with him. She just loves on him. She told me today she knows God has his own timeline for her JDaniel2. I pray that God gives JDaniel4 and I more time to get to know him. We are late comers to the family and JDaniel isn’t old enough to have memories of his own of his grandfather yet.

This week I have heard about two babies dying (one in utro and one less than a month old), visited a very special man I don’t want to die yet, and struggled to understand God’s hand in all of it. I know he has a plan. I know I can’t control his plan. I know I have to trust in his plan.

If you get a chance, please pray for my friends C and H who lost babies and JDaniel2 this week.

Prissy Poodle's Tuxedo Pleat Headband Giveaway

My sister Kate was the only one in my family to have a girl. She seems to have a great time dressing her daughter from head to toe in color coordinated outfits. She always seems to send picture of her with beautiful headbands, ribbons or clips in her hair. Prissy Poodle is a great Etsy shop I ran across that helps moms find ways to beautifully dress their daughters from head to toe . She has graciously offered a Classic Tuxedo Headband as a giveaway item.

Here is Prissy Poodle’s Bio from Etsy:

I'm a Lucky, Christian Stay at Home, Run around Town- Tball Mom! Who Loves, Loves to make bows for my daughter! I find it so much fun to use my skills and creativity to make bows, flip flops and other crafty things! I learned to make bows early on, because buying them was getting expensive!

What do you need to do to win it?

Tell me something else she carries in her Prissy Poodle shop. (1 entry for each)

For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.

*Write about this giveaway with a link back to it on Facebook or another social network site. (1 entry)

*Enter another giveaway that I am hosting. (1 entry for each giveaway your enter)

*Follow my blog. Leave me a comment saying that you now follow or that you already do. (1 entry)

*Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me on Twitter. Copy and paste: Prissy PoodleGiveaway@JDaniel4smom.(1 entry per day)

*Subscribe to my blog. Leave me a comment saying that you have subscribed or that you already do. (1 entry)

*Add me to your blog roll . (3 entries)

*Favorite me in Technorati! (5 entries)

*Buy anything from Prissy Poodle and come back and leave a comment saying you did.(10 entries)

That is 9 ways to win. The winner will be chosen by using the random number generator at http://www.random.org/.

This giveaway begins December 5th and end December 14th at 11:59 p.m. It is open to United States residents only.

Have You Ever Seen a Moose with Turtle Feet?

Friday Fill-Ins #153

1. You get trouble when you try to talk on the phone and your toddler has crayons.

2. JDaniel took his black crayon right to calendar hanging at eye level on the refrigerator and started scribbling.

3. It's playtime!

4. “JDaniel you have a coloring book right there! This is ridiculous!” I said.

5. I now feel more rushed to finish the call and grab all of his crayons.

6. “Time for the crayons to take a rest...goodnight!” I said

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to wrapping presents, tomorrow my plans include staying dry and working on decorating in the house and Sunday, I want to visit my in-laws (I love them so much and JDaniel brings them such joy!)

Yes, this week I have continued to write about toddlers and phones.


Friday Fill-In #153 is a fun one. Please join in.

Holiday House Decorating- Pressure and Envy

JDaniel and I went shopping for some Christmas decorations for the outside of our house yesterday. I was really feeling the need to keep up with the other people with in the neighborhood. Really not to keep up with them just to do something more than we did last year. We usually hang a wreath on the door, put lights on one tree, and place ribbons on our railing. It looks nice. With the expectation of the house next store that has a lot of lights the other five around us have wreaths with red bows on all the lower windows, garlands under windows, and some lights. It is all tastefully done. With the bad weather , lateness my husband gets home, and my inability to climb a ladder to decorate with a toddler our house doesn’t even have up what we had last year. The plan is to work on it this weekend so; JDaniel and I got four wreaths with ribbons yesterday at A.C. Moore. They were a great deal. All four wreaths were $21. Now I just have to hope the weather stays nice!

Do you have the only undecorated house on your block? Do you deal with house envy?

Thanks to Donors Giveaway ($25 Visa Gift Card)- All Welcome to Enter

I am so thankful for each and every shop and company that donated to my giveaways. This giveaway is a way for me to thank them, remind you of their great products, and have a little fun. I hope that all of you that participate find fun gifts for friends and family. One of you will win a $25 Visa gift card.

What do you have to do to win? You can do any or all of these things.

1.Follow me (1 entry)

2.Heart a shop that donated to a giveaway that is on Etsy.com. (1 entry per shop)

3.Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me on Twitter. Copy and paste: $25VisaGiftCardGiveaway@JDaniel4smom.(1 entry per day)

4.Add me to your blog roll. (2 entries)

5.Add my button to your blog (3 entries)

6.Favorite me in Technorati! (3 entries)

7.Search for the clues placed at the end of giveaways. Then put them together to write a wonderful Christmas promise. Finally e-mail the promise to jdaniel4smom@aol.com. (5 entries)

If I don’t get your e-mail, your entries won’t count.

8.If you donated to JDaniel4’s giveaways , all you have to do is type in your shop name and what you donated in the comment area.(10 entries)

9.Buy anything from shop or company that donated to a giveaway listed on this blog. (10 entries)

This giveaway ends December 26th at 11:59 p.m.

That is 9 ways to win. The winner will be chosen by using the random number generator at http://www.random.org/.

Divine Caroline- Love This Site Contest Ends Tomorrow

I know the contest doesn't end until tomorrow. I wanted to thank all of you that voted for me. Some of you I know were enticed to vote to get more entries in giveaways. Regardless I want to thank you for your votes. I am at the middle of the pack (24th)which isn't bad for someone who hasn't been blogging long.

If you haven't voted and you would like to, you can click on the Divine Caroline contest button on the sidebar.

My Favorite Sites to Find Deals- Links 4 Moms

There are many wonderful web sites that list deals. I subscribe to a lot of them. Rather than list all of them, I am going to list five of them and one that I was contacted by that I am going to check out a little more.

I love:
Deal Seeking Mom
Thrifty and Chic Mom
STL Mommy
Southern Savers
Freebies 4 Mom


Freesnatcher is a new site I want to check out more.

Do you have favorite? Leave a link to it in the comments and I will check it out.

Grow Smart Games- My Pocket Games Giveaway

Are you looking for a great stocking stuffer? Do you need something that will entertain your children without having to be plugged into the wall or needing batteries? Do you have a long car ride ahead of you? Grow Smart Games has just what you are looking for. What is it? It is called My Pocket Games. My Pocket Games contain 5 fun games: Tic Tac Toe, Dots and Boxes, Hangman, Alphabet Game, and Pipes. Each My Pocket Games comes with directions on how to play the games included. There is also a blank page where kids can draw or make up their own game. The laminated pages insure this is an activity your children can play over and over again. A dry erase marker is also included in each pocket game.

Before I tell you how to win it let me have the owner of Grow Smart Games tell you about herself:

In my other Etsy store - FleeceTraveler - I sell travel inspired fleece items like blankets and scarves and totes. I started making games for kids and decided to open a second Etsy shop - GrowSmartGames.

I am an educator by profession and a parent. When I walk down the toy aisle in a store, I see all the toys that basically do everything at the push of a button. Kids barely have to use imagination and when they are playing electronic games in isolation they are in a world of their own. No wonder more and more kids have trouble socializing and pretending.

I started making games that focus on learning and interacting with others. When I see kids playing with my games, learning and having fun with others, it validates my belief that simple good old fashion games are still the best.

How do I win one?

-Tell me something else she carries in Grow Smart Games and/or Fleece Traveler (1 entry for each)

For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.

*Write about this giveaway with a link back to it on Facebook or another social network site. (1 entry)

*Follow my blog. Leave me a comment saying that you now follow or that you already do. (1 entry)

*Twitter about this giveaway with a link back, you must also be following me on Twitter. Copy and paste: GrowSmartGamesGiveaway@JDaniel4smom.(1 entry per day)

*Subscribe to my blog. Leave me a comment saying that you have subscribed or that you already do. (1 entry)

*Add me to your blogroll. (2 entries)

*Favorite me in Technorati! (4 entries)

*Buy anything from Grow Smart Games or Fleece Traveler and come back and leave a comment saying you did. (10 entries)

That is 8 ways to win. The winner will be chosen by using the random number generator at http://www.random.org/.


This giveaway begins December 3rd and end December 13th at 11:59 p.m. It is open to United States residents only

Clue 21: To All

Fizzy Lunch Lab- Review

Fizzy Lunch Lab is a really fun web based children’s program that teaches children about healthy eating. It is a part of the PBS Kids website. I was asked to visit the site and write a review of it. At first that was a challenge. I couldn’t get past an icon that said the site was pre-heating. (A friend had the same problem when I asked them to check on the site for me.) I checked with CloudKid Studios and they reminded me clear my cache and try again. It was soooo worth the patience it took to get in. The site has great information, fun videos, and is very child friendly. This month you get to enjoy a fun web episode is called Whole Grains.

JDaniel and I watched all the sections of the current episode. The opening section with Professor Fizzy talking about the differences in wheat and white flours and the video in Mixie’s Reports on baking bread really held his attention. I am not sure he got all that Corporal Cup was explaining about baking healthy cookies in her section, but he like that too. He really didn’t understand the talk show section called Lunch Lab Live with wheat bread explaining how he was different than white bread. I thought it was really fun though. He really liked the Freezer Burn Band singing. He got down and danced to the song. I like the recipe part of the web site. I thought if they are designed for kids to make than I can probably make it too. He also like a part of the episode called Attack of the Pizzanators. We both like the Kitchen Tour. You can explore the tools that are in the kitchen and what they do. I like the Safety Tips. They are things you tell your children, but Fizzy’s Lab reinforces what you’ve told them. Sometimes children need to be reminded of the right thing to do. It will be great to say, “What would Fizzy do?”

JDaniel is only twenty months old and probably not the right demographic for the program so, I enlisted help from my sisters’ pre-school and elementary school aged children. My sister Michelle’s boys are six and nine. The nine year old wanted more action in the episodes, but was very interested in the recipes. Her six year old really seemed to stories. My sister Kate wrote me that her 5 year old enjoyed the site, but was a little disappointed he could not play any games on line. There are games. They have printouts for placemat and outdoor games. The outdoor games do look like fun and would get children moving. I hope they add interactive online games that review and reinforce healthy eating concepts. Both of Kate’s kids laughed at the videos--especially the flying pizzas. They both want her to make the wheat pita pizzas for dinner. She called the site a remarkable success!

The quality of the cartoons and the website are top notch. The music is fun and catchy. I found myself singing "wheat is sweet and white is all right" for the rest of the day. This is a great site for teachers and parents to use to help their children learn healthy eating. Here is a link to Fizzy's trailer.

Upcoming month’s episodes are called Balanced Meals and Diet, Veggies, Good Fat and Bad Fat, and Hydration.

Disclaimer: I was contacted about writing a review for this online children's program. CloudKid Studios did not compensate me in any way to review it.

Thrifty Holiday Spending- Eyes Open for Deals All Year Long

I am always looking of deal that I can give as gifts.

What did I do for this year:

•When Taste of Home cookbooks were $5 online, I got a few to give to my sisters.

•When the Family Christian store had DVDs for $5, I picked up some of my niece and nephews.

•I got on the mailing lists of stores I like. They sent coupons and deals all year long.

•I trolled the end of aisles that face away from the flow of traffic in stores. I got 300 thread count sheet for $4 and three bags of Reece’s Peanut Butter cups for $1 each.

•I read the discussion boards online for deals. I don’t have a lot of luck with them. People here is Greenville as very thrifty and computer savvy. They usually get the deals before I do.

•I used coupons from the Sunday circulars.

•Some stores will take other stores coupons.A.C. Moore takes Micheal’s coupons. I got some puzzles for Daniel and some craft supplies at 40% off.

•I checked store clearance areas all year long. They have all kinds of things beyond food and toiletries.

•I got toys at consignment sales.

Thrifty Holiday Spending- Sharing with Friends

Last Christmas a friend e-mailed me and asked if I wanted her Jumparoo for fifteen dollars. JDaniel was 10 months old and was so ready for one. When she dropped it off, she also gave me a bag of toys her sons had outgrown. JDaniel has played with the blocks, electronic xylophone and, shape sorter for months. If you have things your kids have outgrown, please think about sharing them with a friend.

Tree Ornament Collection for Your Child's Future Tree

My friend Caroline started a Christmas ornament collection for each of her children when they were born. Each year she gave them an ornament that represented them, a place they had visited, or was something they really liked. Her plan is to give each child their collection when they grow up and start their own homes. I remember her saying that they wouldn’t have an empty tree for their first Christmas. Each of her children would have a tree that was filled with memories of their childhood and they could build on it .

I started this tradition for each of my sisters’ children . Each year I send an ornament to them along with their gift. I like to give the Hallmark ornaments. (I buy them the day after Christmas for the next year at 40 % off.) I don’t know if my sister’s will put them together in a collection for them when they are grown up or not. I hope they do.

JDaniel will have two ornaments of his own this year. I think I am going to keep a list of the ornaments for his “Future Tree” in the ornament box so I will remember which ones they are.

Right now lots of stores have ornaments 40-50% off!

Thrifty Holiday Spending- Reusable Bags for Giving, Shopping, and More

Reusable bags might be a great gift for someone on your list. You might want to include a gift card to the store printed on the bag. I have even given gifts in decorative ones. If the person is very green friendly, they love that the can use them again.

I take the reusable grocery bags everywhere. We use them whenever we go shopping even if it isn’t for groceries. We take them to the library to carry books. We pack toys in them when we travel. We take them to the pool when we go to the Y. They are great for wet suits and towels. JDaniel even used one decorated with Frankenstein for his Halloween bag.

I try to keep some in the trunk of the car and some in the kitchen. JDaniel knows right where they are. If I tell him we need one, he goes off and gets one. Sometimes he doesn’t bring them to me. When he doesn’t bring one, I know I will find him standing at the door to the garage with one over his shoulder ready to go.

Some stores will give you credit for bringing your own bags. Target and Bi-Lo take money off for each bag you bring. I love seeing five cents taken off my total for each bag at Bi-Lo.