a dash of sassitude

WFMW: Many Birthdays, One Celebration

24 Jun 2008

hat do you do when you have six kids with birthdays in January, February, March, April, May, and July? (We may have to have another baby to fill in June hehe.) You can only invite friends over so many months in a row before they wave the white flag. Who do you choose to have the party that year? My kids haven’t had birthday parties in years except for our immediate family and any relatives who happened to be visiting that month.

This past winter, a friend and I were chatting about birthday party dilemas. She mentioned the idea of having one celebration in the summer for all three of her kids. A lightbulb went on. Why not host one big birthday bash for all the kids! It could be a yearly event!

My mind started ticking at the possibilities. We could have it in June since that month isn’t currently occupied by a birthday. It could be a potluck. Guests wouldn’t even need to bring gifts. We’d have it at the park. No need to limit how many guests to invite. Oh the possibilities…

This June, the first annual Silva Summer Birthday Bash was born. We had our first celebration on the 14th. Twenty-seven guests showed up! Not bad for the first year eh? Some guests brought gifts anyway, everyone pitched in with food, drinks, cups, plates, etc., and I bought a big cake.

(Notice the finger prints above the h and d in birthday? Hmmm - they seem to be the same size as Little Miss Princess’ fingers.)

We had some games, but the biggest draw were the waterguns.

(Bob decided to come after me, so I grabbed the Super Soaker and ran!)

(Don’t worry, I got him back).

Some of the guys played Frisbee Golf, the ladies chatted, and the kids played. The weather felt custom ordered with sunshine warm enough for water play, but cool enough for spectators sitting in the shade. It was a beautiful day and the kids loved every minute of it.

(Don’t worry, they weren’t burnt, just hot from playing hard.)

I’m thinking we need to have a theme next year. Maybe Hawaiian. Hula skirt anyone?

The Silva Summer Birthday Bash Works For Me. Check out my Wordfilled Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, and Wordless Wednesday posts, too! I also have giveaways here and here.

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WFMW: Potty Training

21 May 2008

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accidentally started potty training Little Miss Princess a few weeks ago. How does one accidentally potty train? Well, it went something like this:

I was reading some emails about teaching your kids the value of money. One person said they had taught their preschooler to value money AND potty trained at the same. Basically, they held up the child’s diaper and said that every diaper he used cost money. If he didn’t use diapers, they would have money to buy more of his favorite toy animals. Another parent piped up that they had done something similar.

I told Little Miss Amber that if she didn’t potty in her diapers and kept her undies dry, she could have a baby doll. I have to admit, I was being a little flippant and not for a minute did I think it would work.

I left for the day to run errands and when I got home, Little Miss Princess was asleep on her older sister’s shoulder. In undies. Which she had managed to keep dry all day.

AND SHE HAD TALKED ALL DAY ABOUT HER BABY DOLL. You know, the one I didn’t buy because I wasn’t serious. I took off for the dollar store and bought three cloth dolls and two coloring books. Then I headed to another store and bought her a nice baby doll. The plan was forming as I shopped.

We got home and I had my daughter quickly make a chart while I praised Little Miss Princess for doing so well. I told her that if she kept trying, she would get a prize that evening. Every time we took her potty, she put a sticker on her chart if her undies were dry. If she pooped on the toilet, she got an extra star.

Most evenings, she got a prize, and by the end of a week, she had few accidents and filled in her entire chart. She earned her nice baby doll and cheers from her family.

I keep her in diapers at night (we co-sleep and I’m not that brave), but she rarely wakes up wet. I’m hoping to buy two or three cloth diapers for night time use before we run out of this pack of diapers (which will take a few months at this rate).

She naps in her undies and we recently went on our first outing with her in her undies. She did great.

Accidentally potty training Works For Me.

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Soothing Warm Lotion

14 May 2008

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on’t forget to enter my two giveaways ending Friday. Click on Events and Giveaways at the top of the blog to find the links to both of them.

That title makes you dream of pampering yourself doesn’t it? I enjoy slathering on some creamy lotion, but when it’s cold? Not so much. I don’t like being cold. I REALLY DON’T LIKE BEING COLD! Not yelling, just clarifying.

A couple of years ago, I bought myself a lotion warmer from Conair. Then the pampering really kicked up a notch. I’d hit the on button, enjoy a toasty shower, and then rub some warm, soothing body lotion on. Oh yea! Luxury.

This led to lighting scented candles and turning off the bathroom light while I showered. Simple pleasures. It was like a mini oasis in my day.

By the way, this delights babies and toddlers, too. They love a bath by candlelight and warm lotion.

If you can’t find or afford a lotion dispenser, put your lotion in a small bottle or container with a tight lid. Using a small bottle or container makes it easier to warm it up more thoroughly.

You have a couple of ways you can warm it:

1. Fill a sink or bowl with hot water and let it sit while you take a bath or shower.
2. Let it float in the bathtub while you take a bath.
3. If you’re showering, either let the tub fill a little or put the bottle on the bottom of the tub where the water will hit it (the least effective way).

No more excuses for not pampering yourself or your little ones.

Works for me.

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WFMW: Flu Remedy Goodness

29 Apr 2008

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ecently, I talked about how sick we have all been and how traditional medicine just wasn’t kickin’ it. Out of sheer frustration, I took the bull, or rather flu, by the horns and fought the battle with natural remedies. The tide turned and we could taste victory. Or was that the weird soup?

So what worked for us? Let me tell you about the bag of tricks I pulled out. That morning, I had to go to the chiropractor and he asked me if I’d heard about putting Vicks on their feet to help with the coughs. I had heard, but I’d forgotten! I told him I was desperate enough to try and would let him know if it worked.

That night, I had the kids all get in their pajamas and bring a pair of socks with them into the living room. We pulled out the Vicks and the kids looked at us like we’d sprouted wings. Or maybe they were thinking horns cause this seemed like an evil plot to them. I mean, can you imagine having Vicks squishing between your toes?

We slathered the Vicks on feet and chest and put their socks on. We were ALL high from Vicks fumes, but breathing easier.

The next day, I went out and bought more ammunition. I pumped vitamin C in them. Poured water through them. Made them rest a lot.

We drank a lot of herbal teas: honey lemon, chamomile, etc. Amber nursed. Nobody else was interested.

We took equal parts of honey and lemon and heated it enough to mix thoroughly and put this in a jar. The dose: 1 teaspoon every four hours.

We made a soup to help fight the crude and boost the immune system. This stuff was power packed and I put whatever amount (me? measure?) of: chicken broth, chicken, ginger root, onions, garlic cloves (minced), carrots, potatoes, and cayenne pepper. We took a bite. Bland chased by a spicy kick. A weird sensation. We had small portions throughout the day.

We used lavender and eucalyptus essential oils in little burners and in the humidifier. The air conditioner came on at night and the windows were opened during the day. On a decent day, I even dragged our sick selves down to the park for some fresh air.

They made a fast improvement after all this when traditional didn’t do a thing.

You bet I’ll be learning more about natural remedies.

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Christmas List for Grandparents

14 Nov 2007

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y mom asked me to email her an early Christmas list for the grandkids this year. She wanted time to mail them all out rather than try and bring them on the airplane with her. I don’t blame her. I have six kids so you can imagine how heavy that would get even at one gift per person.

But I also knew how easy it would be if my mom would shop online and have everything shipped here. My mom has emailed, chatted and a few other things, but shopping online? Not so much.

I had to introduce her to this wonderful way of beating the holiday madness at the local stores and post office.

I created a public wish list on Amazon and put the child’s name in the comment box for each item. Any gift idea not available on Amazon or if I could find it cheaper, I added a direct link to the item. Then I put prices next to everything to help her choose the price range she wanted.

Since she was new to this, I told her to give me a call and I’d walk her through it over the phone. She chose to work solely with the Amazon list and do everything in one transaction at one place. I don’t blame her. Shopping online can be intimidating for someone who has never done it before.

When it was all done and she’d set up her account, I mentioned that this would be a great way for her to shop for birthday items, too. She’s hooked.

This takes the Christmas List to a whole new level of ease for grandparents. Even more so for those who don’t live close by. They can have it shipped directly to you and either pay a little more for wrapping or you can offer to do wrap it for them as it arrives.

Speaking of wrapping gifts, I have a great family traditionrelated to Christmas gift wrapping. But you’ll have to wait until the next Works for Me Wednesday! Now, go visit Rocks in My Dryer to read great tips from the other players.