TIME-OUT : by amy

On Thursday, Logan faced his first time-out.  He's seen the bigger kids at day-care get time-out, so I was pretty sure he knew how it worked, but we never did it at home yet. 

It was kind of funny because just 2 weeks ago, my husband and I were talking about ways to discipline Logan.  Do we spank?  If so, when?  We thought we'd likely never have to touch him since he bursts into tears any time my husband disciplines him (and that's just with the "look" or a stern Logan, NO, in his super-deep voice).   I think he reacts that way because he sees dad as the "fun" one and not the one that's supposed to say "no."  When I discipline him, he's typically not happy but cries only occasionally.  Anyway, so during this discussion, my husband says, we're definitely not doing any of that 'time-out' nonsense.  He wasn't a believer in time-out.  Well, what else are you going to do?  Beat your 20 month old with the rice spoon?  No, I don't think so.

So Logan decided it would be fun to repeatedly jump off of the staircase (from the first step).  After the 10th time, we decided this jumping can only happen outside with our supervision.  So after repeated Logan, NO! and no jumping in the house!, even my husband was desperate to try anything to discipline the kid, so we pulled the time-out card.  Logan's reaction?  A mischievous smile, and a GO! as he jumped off the step.

"GO!"

So, we strapped him to the high chair, took him to the adjacent library (which was kind of dark), and had him face the wall for 1 minute.

Time out!

He whined the entire time, but no tears.  Did it work?  Not exactly.  He ran back to the staircase, but stopped abruptly after the husband called his name.  This was Logan's chance to learn.  He knew something was up-- he was doing something wrong.  Logan, if you jump off one more time, you are going to time-out again.  I mean it.  Logan's reaction?  [thinking about it]....GO! *jump*.  *sigh*  He failed.  So back on the high chair he went, now kicking, screaming, with his body refusing to sit up in the chair.  After finally strapping in the buckles, we had him face the wall again for another minute.  This time, he wailed, sobbed and screamed in high pitches for the entire minute.  He was a snotty, sweaty mess.  We hugged and kissed him, but the screaming didn't stop.  We tried to distract him with toys, but he still screamed.

But guess what?  The next morning, he faced that notorious step....and he STEPPED down!  We applauded, praised and thanked him for listening.  The time-out worked!!  Somehow, we felt like "successful" parents.  Aside from providing for his needs and loving him, we actually influenced how he behaved!  This probably sounds ridiculous to you, but it really was a "a-ha!" moment for us.

So, the husband is now a believer in time-out.   Logan now knows what time-out is.  Now the problem is the new day care we're thinking of taking Logan to doesn't call it "time-out"-- they call it the "thinking chair."  What a freaking euphemism.

BK Children's Museum : by jean

Brooklyn Children's Museum offers free admission every third Thursday of the month 4-7pm and the first full weekend of every month from 2-5pm. Here is a list of the remaining dates:

THURSDAYS:
April 18
May 16
June 20

WEEKENDS:
May 4 & 5
June 1 & 2

Admission is normally $9.00 per person and free for Museum members and children under 1 year of age.

The Changs and Lees took the boys there a few weekends ago, and it was fun!  We went when it was free so there were a lot of people there.  I haven't been to other children's museums, but it seemed like a good size for toddlers.

The museum had a Totally Tots section which was for kids age 5 and under.  They had a ton of stuff for toddlers from a water play area, costumes for theatre, reading area, blocks, etc etc.

section of totally tots

Miles & Logan "riding" a MTA bus

The museum had a lot of things to see.  They had an indoor reptile area, a greenhouse, make-believe stores (I would have LOVED that as a kid), sensory area, etc.  I think Miles will have lots of fun exploring once he gets older.

What are some fun places you've taken your kids to?

bigger isn't always better : by amy

The husband and I have been talking a lot about what to do with our current housing situation now that baby #2 is on the way.  We live in a small 3 bedroom house with 1.5 bathrooms.  The third bedroom is pretty tiny-- perfect for a nursery, but a little sad and unfair for the kid that gets stuck with the shoebox room.  It's our first home, and we absolutely love its charm, our neighborhood and its location/close proximity to everything.  But even after Logan, we are already starting to feel a slight pinch with space.  Thankfully, we have an attic and small semi-finished basement where we can store a lot of our junk (and Jean's junk!).  But the spaces still aren't exactly ideal for the long-term.

Aside from space, there were certain things we loved about our old house that we realized were really ANNOYING when you have a baby.  For example, original hardwood floors, like from 1929.  Yeah, they look awesome but we didn't realize how loud the creaky floors were until after we had a baby.  Everything sounds louder when you have a baby!  The creaky floors.  The toilet flush.  My husband blowing his nose.  Anyway, we look like ninjas tip-toeing across the 2nd floor!  We also have super old crystal door knobs which are vintage and beautiful, but...they don't always keep the doors closed all the way which means more sound leakage.  Consequently, when we have guests over and the baby is sleeping (day or night), they have to stay pretty quiet.

So, the husband and I vowed that our next home (whether we add-on or move) will have quieter floors, doors that close (seems like a pretty easy request, right?), a 4th bedroom, a master bathroom and a walk-in closet for yours truly.  A bonus would be a bigger fully finished basement, a bigger office that we can share with the kids (because we are instilling a no-computers-anywhere-but-the-office rule), and a bigger kitchen that would open up to a much bigger family room.  Yes, there is a trend here-- bigger.

But then we realized that bigger wasn't always better, unless you used a lot of gates (which I find to be annoying).

My in-laws have a sprawling ranch-style home and recently converted their fully finished basement into a dedicated playroom heaven for Logan.  He likes playing at grandma's because he could run around from one end of the house to the other, climb up to the finished attic and run around there, go down to the basement and play in his playroom.  The entire house is essentially his playground.  It's great...if you don't have to chase him around and watch him all the time.  Otherwise, it is EXHAUSTING!  It's very hard to get anything done since you can't always keep him in one area, or he demands that you follow him to a certain area of the house (and then a tantrum arises).

It made us think that our current situation wasn't so bad after all.  Yes, the rooms are small, but we can be anywhere on the 1st floor and not worry about where Logan is--  he will always be very close in sight.  And when baby 2 comes along, it'll be only that much easier to not have to chase a toddler around while trying to nurse a baby.  So, we'll keep saving our pennies and save the bigger space for when the kids are bigger.

In the meantime, here is how a family of four manages in a 500 square foot apartment in San Francisco!  Although, I have to admit that their living room is totally NOT kid-friendly.  They must have really obedient kids who don't knock books or anything off of tables :P.

http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/2013/03/san-francisco-apartment-tour-500-square.html

veggie pasta : by jean

Everyone loves pasta.  Adults love it and so do babies. Pasta sometimes get a bad rep but not anymore!

 Barilla  has recently come out with veggie pastas.

Veggie Penne-Freshly Pureed Tomatoes and Carrots 

Veggie Farfalle-Freshly Pureed Carrots and Squash 

Veggie Rotini-Freshly Pureed Spinach and Zucchini

I used to add grated veggies into the pasta sauces so Miles gets some extra veggies, but now he gets it in the pasta as well!

We've tried the Veggie Rotini and Farfalle so far, and he's liked it.  Honestly, I can't tell much of a difference, so why not get a FULL serving of vegetables through your pasta??