The Cost to Raise Our Kids

I had a different post in mind for today but thanks to MSN I had to change my mind. 
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Holy Cow Moment #?:  We all knew raising children had a hefty price tag but who knew Colorado (the state in which I live) could make that cost even more.  Don't worry Illinois, Massachusetts and 7 other states you all got recognition too.

Thank you MSN for brightening my day.  Colorado is number 4 on the list of most expensive states to raise a child.  Yes you read that right.  NUMBER 4. It's enough to make me want to cry.  I knew raising a baby - well 2, wasn't going to be cheap but when the average of childcare is as high as it is that just makes it all the more worse. 

It's bad when I saw the MSN post today and all I could think was "oh please let my state be on there."  No it wasn't because I wanted bragging rights.  It was because I feel like I pay A LOT for childcare and I just can't believe we are 'cheap.'  Well I suppose I feel vindicated - or robbed.  I suppose I have mixed feelings on knowing the truth. 

Oh well.  What can we do.  Like they say.  If you wait to be able to afford a child you will never have them and I can't see my life without my daughter.  Sorry baby two, I don't know you yet to say the same. 

Holy Cow its highway robbery.  Everyone says you can't put a price tag on the value your child adds to your life too bad we can put a number to what they take away.  I did just say she was worth it right?

Annihilation of the Competition

Holy Cow Moment ?: I thought raising my daughter and having her reach toddler-hood was going to be the hardest challenge for me. I was wrong. Apparently it's going to be keeping the new baby alive in order to be born.

Mommy is always the favorite toy,but up until recently my stomach was never the target. Now I have to watch what I am doing or how I am laying in order to protect the new spawn. Why? My daughter is trying to take out the competition.

Okay, so I don't think she knows what she is doing. Because if she did then I guess she really would be evil. As of right now I think it's all coincidence. We all like to tell ourselves that our children are our husbands evil spawn but I don't think we actually believe it...do we?

Holy Cow how will I raise two children when one is inadvertently trying to take out the other.

For those with multiples how did you do it?

When “Advice” Goes Wrong

ADVISORY: This is a rant.  Do not take anything personal - but if you notice you may be a culprit or a victim then you may laugh with me.  Culprit's learn from your mistakes.

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Holy Crap Cow Moment ?: When is enough enough? How do you stop the "advice diarrhea?"

  How much advice is useful?  Well, when the advice in unsolicited sometimes none.  While you are pregnant you hear everyone’s thoughts and opinions, which can get annoying, but what happens after the baby is here?

 

For the most part you will always hear the “if you just did this, that wouldn’t happen.”  Although most likely a lot of parents you know or run into will say “oh, we had that same issue and this is how we dealt…”  Which is advice based on experience, okay, I think that can be helpful.

Sadly though there are some that step over the bounds and criticize.  Maybe criticize isn’t what they mean to do but when they can’t approve of a single thing that you are doing to raise your child that is exactly what they are doing.  Easy to overlook one or two comments, harder when you reach the fiftieth.

How do you handle the grandparent/parent/family member/friend/etc that know everything? 

• Sure you can ignore the advice, but at some point they get offended.  (Yes I know, I tried)
•  So next step, explain how your parenting is different.  Now you are being disrespectful and saying they are wrong (which you probably are but not on purpose. People giving the ‘advice’ usually will take any disagreement of their views as rude). 
• Maybe you can avoid them as a last resort?  No, that means you are being rude and once again, disrespectful.

But what other passive alternatives are there?  Now, the above is assuming you care about the relationship with the over-advising party.

If you answered no to that last statement then my suggestion is to block the caller ID, avoid any place that person may hang out, and when all else fails run them down with any motorized option of your choice – by accident of course.
 

I would like to remind involved parties that advice is an option, not a must.  Too bad this rant will fall onto the ears of those that have the same issue opposed to those that are guilty of the crime.
 

Dictionary.com says:

 ad·vice [ad-vahys] Show IPA noun

1. an opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action, conduct, etc.: I shall act on your advice.

2. a communication, especially from a distance, containing information: Advice from abroad informs us that the government has fallen. Recent diplomatic advices have been ominous.

3. an official notification, especially one pertaining to a business agreement: an overdue advice.

Taking Flight - Preperation for Close Spaces

Holy Cow Moment #:  And I thought I was a pack-rat before having a baby. T-Minus 2 weeks to vacation and a 2.5 hour flight.

What are we doing to prepare for flight with a toddler?  Well to start we are buying several new toys to give her something to distract her.  We are loading ALL of her favorite movies onto the i-pad.  We are trying to get her use to wearing minimouse earphones.  What we are not doing yet is potty training. I think this is obvious why.

We have been asking around to see what the best options are for flying with a wee one.  Some people swear a carseat is the best option, others say no, the empty seat is better.

Pro's to an empty seat -
Place to change diapers
Run around room
A place for all your toys
a place to sprawl incase sleep is a possiblity

Con's -
No good way to constrain the tiny tot
Well-no good way to keep her still

Pro's to a car seat -
One less item to check
A place to harness he tiny butt
It a a familar place, her space

Con's to a car seat -
It's big and bulky
I don't want to carry the thing
It might take up all the "play space" for her

I think in the end we are going to gate check the carseat.  It's free to check why not.

Current check list -
Copy of birth certificate for child - Done
Bags for her carry on items-done
carry on toys - done
Benadryl - done- oh wait it says not to use to make your child sleepy.  Sigh. 

Any tips to flying with kids under teh age of 2?

Glutton for Punishment - Baby Number 2

The word is out – or at least I think it is.  If not it will be now.

 Holy Cow Moment #: Baby number two is on their way.

Did we just sign ourselves up for a world of hurt?   Somedays I think maybe.  When my daughter is running around without stopping for hours and all I can do it pray she crashes early so I can go to bed the idea of 2 is a little intimidating. 

This baby was a small surprise.  Yes we weren’t not trying, but I had been told that it wouldn’t be easy to get pregnant this time around.  Why?  Well thanks to the first pregnancy I now have a few health issues and on top of that I am still nursing – just barely but I am.  Well let me just tell you the doctors are full of poop. 

So here I am due in March, just before my darling toddler’s second birthday.  Will we survive?  I don’t know.  I guess we will since millions of others somehow do it.  Does that really help reassure me?  Not really.  I still feel like I am on an island, alone. 

If I survive the morning-afternoon-evening: okay I am sick all the time. Whatever dopy doctor names it morning sickness should be shot for the misconception that leads to.  Anyway, if I survive that and the new baby survives my toddler trying to take him/her out already by pretending mommy is a trampoline, I suppose we will be okay.

Oh how I wish that a stork really was the way a baby arrived. 

Holy Cow what have we just done? :-)

Family Fiction Contest - I still need your help.

 

It's getting close to the end of voting and I am hoping I can still get a few last minute votes. Please click on the link below and vote a thumbs up, PLEASE.  I always welcome feedback on the story too.  Send a comment to me if you have anything constructive to say.

A Tablespoon of Hope

If you are trying to figure out where this came from see my previous post.
The Holy Cow Moments of being a Mom: I need your support:

I Just Said What?

Holy Cow Moment ?: If anyone were to read my text messages to my husband they'd either think I was kinky or disturbed.

Here are the last few text messages to the hubby:
"we have pee"
"just had a poop. It was thick too."
"just ate 2.5 chickens"
"more pee. Thank God."

So let me say that our daughter has had diarrhea and vomiting for three days. She was becoming severely dehydrated. The above maps out that she is starting to get back to normal,but honestly I never thought I could describe poop-or that I would ever study it. Another conversation had the phrase "she pooped but it was more pudding then solid." Sorry pudding, no offense.

As far as the chickens go, please I live in suburbia. No deep woods oddities here. She ate a couple of nuggets that my husband lovely refers to a simply-chickens.

A little more insight into what parents talk about when one is away and the others trying to keep them informed is fluid intake or dosages. Bu I now see that for what it is...I'm not only into odd fetishes but I'm a drug addict.

"use a syringe"
"try a teaspoon"

I am referring to ways of getting our daughter hydrated when she doesn't want to drink.  But these two phrases alone, to anyone else, would have made someone seriously question us.

Either way the results are the same.  When did this become my life?  

Holy Cow we talk about poop and pee and get excited about it.  Never in my life did I imagine being excited over bodily functions.