children's books #19

No Hitting by Karen Katz is flip page book that has a common situation children would hit in on each page. It then gives an alternative like hitting pots and pants. My kids really liked this book and I'm hoping that they will remember better not to hit!

I Believe in You by Marianne Richmond is an uplifting book teaching children that they are capable of so much and that there is always someone there supporting them. It's a great book for increasing children's confidence and the bond you have with your child.

*Images from Amazon.ca

how life has changed

Life has changed a lot for us in the last few weeks. I am now a full time working mom and am covering a one year maternity leave position. The position is not only in my field of social work but working with mom's who have just had a baby which is an area I enjoy. I'm very lucky to have found a job that not only fits very well in with who I am but also allows me to do a good deal of the paperwork from home which means I'm not gone the full 40 hours a week.

We decided I would go to work for a number of reasons. One being financial as we needed to boost our income for a short period of time. Also, to gain experience and to become a registered social worker so I have more options of part time work in the future.

It is more difficult to co-ordinate meals for the kids and make sure that they have activities to do each day. However, I have to say that while I miss my children, working is SO much easier than being at home! I'm not tired or frustrated or covered in who knows what at the end of the day which is nice.

I plan to switch back to part time work next year so we will see how this pays out...

mum song

Sooooo funny!

dvt awareness month

March is DVT awareness month. Read an explanation of what a DVT is and my personal story here.

keratosis pilaris

When I was a teenager I developed a rash on my upper arms. It persisted so I saw my family doctor who told me it was a hormonal "thing" and it would go away eventually. (I should add here that I later discovered that my doctor was horrible and not very knowledgeable). The condition continued and continued and after having my first son it got worse and moved further down my arms. It was very embarrassing and I wore long sleeved shirts as often as possible. I found that being in the sun often helped alleviate it but it never fully went away.

So fast forward and I finally got a stable family doctor last year. She gave me some different creams to try to get rid of the rash but nothing worked. So, off to the dermatologist I went... eight months later.

(Not my arm but an example of what it looks like)

He spent one minute looking at it and diagnosed me with ketatosis pilaris. I was surprised to learn that it is a genetic condition and is actually fairly common. I'm glad to know what it is but pretty upset that there is no cure. I'm also annoyed that I'm going to have to continue dealing with it.

Sucky.

But definitely not the worst thing in the world so life will go on. Anyone else ever heard of this?

children's books #18

Baby Animals In The Jungle is a board book that shows pictures of baby animals in the jungle. It also has a short piece of writing about the animal; a characteristic, it's colour, what it likes to do etc. It also has the sound that the animal makes. This is a great book for young toddlers who don't have a very long attention span.

Lulu's Wild Party by Paula Blankenship is a book in the We Both Read series. One side of the page is for the parent to read while the other side is for the child to read. J and T don't read yet but they able to identify the letters and then we say the words together. Both boys really enjoyed this book and I liked that the story was one of being flexible with what happens in life.

february wrap up & march goals

February's goal was:

I will attend an exercise class or do a home workout at least 3 times a week this month and follow up about the weight issue (yikes!). I will review new DVD workouts as I try them. I will also get out for a walk with the boys at least once a week.

Here's the update:

I did manage to work out 3 to 4 times a week with the exception of one week where I only did two workouts. I wasn't able to get out each week with the boys which was disappointing. As far as weight in the past twelve months I lost 14 pounds. Not nearly as much as I wanted yet still progress in the right direction. I'm setting a goal of 35 pounds for the next twelve months so hopefully I'll do better this year!!

So on to March... Spirituality

This month I will read my scriptures and have personal prayer every day. Our family will do Family Home Evening each week and I will read the current issue of The Ensign. All of this will be in preparation for General Conference the beginning of April.