okay, what a dumb title, but I am anti-inspired today.

What I am here to say is, we don't have enough good glitter mama threads going. I know I am not the only one who had to deal with a screaming 3 year old all during dinner last night and then had to watch her sleeping peacefully at night and think "who couldn't love that angel?"
nor am I the only one who can't get a 4 year old to eat dinner (it has been at least a week since I have seen food pass through her mouth any time after breakfast!)

I agree that there aren't enough threads "over here." In fact, I just tuned in yesterday for the first time in ages, as there's just not that much activity. I responded to several threads and then came back today to see if anyone else had done so.

My big thing right now is - as I mentioned on the starting school thread - we just moved the baby into her crib in the 4-year-old's room for the first time last night. They both slept from 8pm until 6:15 this morning! I was hoping for 7 - but 6:15 is not bad.

yes, I would definitely be celebrating the 6:15, because as you know, they sleep later and later as the months go by...but then with both of my girls they went through a two year old-wake up in the middle of the night-thing.

Well, she was easily sleeping until 7:00 in the bassinet. But then it was soooo cozy! So I'm hoping she just needs to get used to it.

I was trying to recall if my elder daughter went through phases of waking during the night and I think that she only did while teething. But now that they're sharing a room, the baby could wake them both up! I'm sure it's something they'll both just need to get used to...

My daughter is four, so we are on...year four of waking up through the night. She has NEVER slept through the night. I weaned her at 18 months when I was three months pregnant with my son and I thought that would solve the problem but nothing yet.

what does she do when she gets up at night? My daughter (the 4 year old) gets up and gets into our bed now. The only time it wakes me up is when my husband is on "her" side of the bed and I have to wake up to move him out of the way. Luckily my 3 year old sleeps through the night because she is a terror and would get into everything....like the time that they were both up and I woke up...the first thing I saw was parmesian cheese everywhere, then a big ball of my babies beautiful blonde hair next to the trash can...

I guess this isnt the place to ask how to get a kid to eat then, is it? My pet monster is just over two and will hardly eat...I know they don't need ALOT, but I would think they need SOME...although if there's chocolate in her line of sight its gone.

Kids eat? that is surprise!

Kidding..my three year old is going through a growth spurt so she is eating everything she sees.

I guess the trick is variety, you know she isn't going the eat a plate full of broccoli, but if you have broccoli, chicken, toast, cheese...you know a bunch of stuff on one plate for her to pick on?

Or some small snacks all day long like applesauce or peanut butter crackers...

But, as long as she is taking a daily vitamin and gaining weight regularly you don't need to fret too much

I do leave my pet monster food out during the day (sounds almost like I am talking about a dog or something) so she can pick and choose....she goes through her cycles...last week dry cereal was ok...not this week, cheese and apples sometimes works, not this week. crackers and melon, usually.......but not this week....those were here favourite snacks for the longest time. I can leave them out and they will just stay there, or be thrown to the wind (meaning floor, of course, where they belong and our scullery maid - me - wiil pick them up). Of course I can console myself that she is still nursing (yes, I know, 28 months and STILL NURSING!!), but I would really rather she ate real food too.

I love the glitter mama threads and wish there were more, too. I am looking forward to actually becoming a glitter mama myself any day now and then I can finally stop asking you all a million pregnancy questions and move on to the real deal.

By the way...I read somewhere recently that if you're having trouble getting your toddler to eat you might want to try in the mid/late afternoon. This is usually when children get hungry and cranky and will be more willing to eat an assortment of foods.

I also wish there were more going on here. Somebody here turned me on to sybermoms.com, which I go on regularly and has a lot of activity, but people are kind of mean there and there are a lot of super conservative weirdos too.. well actually it's pretty diverse. But everybody here is such a nice glitter person and crafty at that. OK, you've convinced me, I'll start posting here more :)

hey yeah, most posts please! I like GlitterMamas!

We do need more posts here. Sometimes I'll log on only to see that the number of crafty parent posts have remained unchanged and wonder what's happened to y'all. It's a challenge being creative, trying to raise creative kids AND keeping your sanity. Who hasn't cringed when they've seen projects everywhere with 2 little angels saying "Don't worry, we'll clean it up!" Knowing that they never really get all of it. I'll keep posting here. In the words of Red Green "We're all in this together."

I noticed we were kind of lagging behind a bit.
But here is me...
I have 3-a 9 year old girl, a 6 year old boy, and my 3 year old boy will be 4 in 10 days.
My kids all went through the no eating stages. I got a little concerned and asked the dr. He checked them out and said they were healthy and that sometimes they just go through slow grow periods and will pick back up in time.
I know what you mean with the screaming all through dinner. I can pretty much gage what the first 3 hours of the day are going to be like by how he wakes up.
All my kids get up at about 5:30. That's just what time my husband and I start our day. It works pretty good with an 8pm bedtime.
Our biggest problem is getting my 6 year old to read. He just doesn't want to, not at all most days. He is so interested in girls.
My oldest is a social butterfly, she totally excells at whatever she wants to do. I am very proud of her.
I do feel guilty about dredding parent teacher confrences for my son. I know he can do better, he just doesn't want to. We have tried rewards for doing good and punishments for avoiding schoolwork.
But all my kids are crafty, I love that. My youngest ate a popcicle yesterday, when he was done he brought the stick to me and said, "Here mommy, I bet you could make a purse with this!"
Awesome! Love that!
Glittermammas are so cool!

Melinda

Friday night-I manage to stay up past the toddler typist!

Yea for us getting this board rolling.

Its strange to me that I use a lot of what I get in glitter to raise my future woman but the parenting board gets dry and clinical at times.

I'm always thinking stuff I don't see addressed in Parents.

I worried when I saw her whether I should tell her often how beautiful she is (cuz ya knooww of course she really is) or would that place a value on physical beauty and if she had an accident would she think she wasn't beautiful? I finally decided yes, and teach her what beautiful is-the stars, the ocean, horses...

Like so many people talked about if she would get my metabolism (very high) and I said please do not discuss my child's body image! At three months people are worrying will she be thin?

I cried when they started teaching her to color in the lines at daycare-before that she sang and danced as she colored. Everyone said well, she has to learn for kindergarten. But try as I might that beautiful expression is lost.

I laughed about my angels post because she has a kitchen, cleaning set, high chair, and dolls-but if there was a man about I guess she'd see another adult working in the kitchen. She doesn't have toy tools cause shes generally holding a real screwdriver right beside me as I repair. I had no trouble with dolls and kitchens for my son but with her I sometimes worry if people would think Im stereotyping her enviroment!

I can't stand the idea of teaching your child to color inside the lines!!! My mother in law actually nags us about how my four year old should know how to do that by now...well, so what??? Maybe she does know and just doesn't want to! She can color the whole picture in one color and miss every single line for all I care..that does not shape the person she is going to be...well, maybe it does...but I prefer the shape of a child who is not forced to color in the lines!!!!

My daughter will be 1 next month - is that too young to start with crayons? I'm worried she'll eat them. I already have coloring books for her, but now I think blank paper might be better because there's no lines at all!

This last year has gone by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that she was a tiny baby. Now she has all these teeth and says MMMM! when she sees the yogurt container. We are still nursing though and I'm going to until she is ready to stop.
She is almost walking and talking, becoming a whole new little person. I am sad when she goes to daycare 1 and a half days, because I miss her! Even when she has been fussy and throwing food and escaping from the diaper changes and we've had a rough day all around, I still miss her when she is sleeping.
And sometimes I don't clean the house when I get the chance. I get crafty and make stuff instead!

I think as soon as a kid can hold a crayon its fine....you will definitely have to watch your girl though....as you know EVERYTHING thats not meant for the mouth finds its way there...and the walls...I found the only thing the high chair was good for was letting her colour...kept her confined, until she decided to wriggle out of the straps, onto the table and scoot off with the crayon.
Why do people feel so compelled to hem children in? We only get to be this young once...never mind ABCs and 123s....it drives me batty when they (husband and grandmother) sing that frigging alphabet song to her...or try to make her say words...she's mommy's little psycology experiment....when she expresses interest in learning something, then its time...not before as far as I am concerned. Its amazing how much they pick up on their own without our pushing and prodding them to.

"I prefer the shape of a child who is not forced to color in the lines!!!! "

i love that quote looloo!, i want to frame it and hang it in my "baby's" (she's 2) room. my family jokes that eva is free-range..doesn't do ANYTHING the way most kids are taught, especially eat. they're from the school of eat-at-the-table-don't-play-with-your-food and im just happy she eats at all. who cares if she's eating yogurt with her hands while sitting ON the coffee table?! she's
EATING GODDAMNIT!!

i have to make more time for this board, when i cut myself off from other mama's it starts to feel lonely and you forget we're all in the same boat. ...and speaking of same boat, im happy to know that not all kids sleep through the night by 6 months! that's what your average mama on the street will have you believe. are they lying to me? why wouldnt you be honest with another mom? it makes me feel like i have to lie back like "um, yeah..eva's a great sleeper too!..we're all so damn lucky."

here's to being honest!

xo
courtney

The reason you only hear about the babies that sleep through the night since their first night is because the other mama's are too tired to tell about their experiences.

As for eating...my theory is, if it makes it to the mouth score one for mom! My kids generally "picnic" on the living room floor, but it is easier to get them to eat more if they don't have to sit at the table and stare at their plates.

Hello glitter mamas! I am one of you. I have a 4yo dd. And she is currently into not sleeping, not eating, and talking all the time.

As for the sleeping thru the night thing....so far, for the most part, my kids do....and when people ask me how...and I tell them... I get the "oh, you shouldnt do THAT!!!!!!!!"lecture about how co-sleeping is just this side of evil

We co-slept until she was nearly 3 when she decided that she wanted a big fancy bed ...... she occasionally lays down with me still at night........ after first letting me know just how not tired she really is.

My four year old co-slept from around 10 months til...well, I will let you know when...We finally got her to go to sleep in her own bed when we bought her a toddler bed, but she still gets up in the middle of the night and climbs into our bed. My 3 year old has never co-slept with us, and for a while if she got up in the middle of the night she would go to sleep on my bedroom floor. I had to make a pallette (spell?) for her on the floor because I was afraid she would get cold! But, to each baby their own!