The Mom Crowd

I recently hired two regular sitters for my kids when the fall semester starts up. We’ve always relied on family members to babysit for us, so this will be the first time we are trusting our children in the hands of non-family. This will also be the first time that I am regularly away from my children. Due to this upcoming change, I put together a handbook for our babysitters. When I was a babysitter, I would have LOVED it if my families left me with a handbook like this! I babysat for many years as a teenager and it was very hard to remember all of the last minute instructions parents left me as they were kissing their children goodbye. I can’t expect that a babysitter is going to remember when bedtime is, what to feed them for dinner, whether they need to bathe Susie first or give her a bottle first, etc…

I opened up my word processor and got to typing! For those of you who are crafty, I could totally see the handbook being done in a cute scrapbook style!  Mine is in a cheap, navy blue folder with prongs.  Some of this may be excessive, however I would rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

So, what’s in my handbook?

Contact information

• Our full names
• Our home address and phone number
• Our cell phone numbers and my husband’s work phone number
• Emergency contact (Grandma) home/cell/work numbers

Rules

• I listed my children’s basic no-no’s (climbing on table, hitting each other, etc…)
• I gave basic household rules (no shoes on in our house, our policy on television, etc…)
• I gave the babysitter basic rules as well (keep stair gate and bathroom doors shut at all times, no smoking, guidelines on having visitors over, etc…)

Special instructions

• Potty/Diaper instructions-I listed where diapering materials are kept and instructions on what to do with dirty diapers. I also gave instructions on where the kids are at in potty training and instructions on when to let them sit on the potty.
• Outdoor instructions-I gave instructions on outdoor play. I asked that the sitter check for fire ants and check with me before hand if they wanted to play in the pool. I mentioned where the wagon is kept and other quick notes about outdoor play.
• Mealtime instructions-I noted where mealtime accessories are kept and a few notes about mealtime with my children.
• Bedtime instructions-I mentioned their nap schedule and bedtime routine. I most importantly noted that Darah must have her lovey for bedtime to be successful!
• Discipline instructions-I explained our discipline strategy with our children, located time-out and the buzzer for them, and explained which offenses deserved a time-out. I also explained redirection when time-out was over and what I expected from each child after time out (apology, hug, etc…)

List of foods

• I basically just listed the foods my children will eat so they don’t have to guess what to feed them if they need a meal or a snack.

Medical information

• I gave a complete list of all of our medical providers and specialists, including their addresses and phone numbers. This has been a handy list for myself!
• I typed up each child’s full name and their birthday and indicated if they have allergies and typed up the medications they are on. I also typed up their health issues, including a list of all surgeries and medical procedures and dates.
• Health insurance information, including copies of our insurance cards.
• Darah and Connor both carry a special card indicating their need for an antibiotic in case of an emergency due to their heart defects. I copied these for our babysitters.

More resources for creating a babysitter handbook:

Children’s Safety Zone Guide for Babysitters

Checklist for Preparing a New Babysitter

A Babysitter’s Guide to Babysitting for a child with diabetes

Printable Babysitter Checklist

What else would be beneficial in a babysitter handbook?

After I found out I was pregnant two weeks ago my husband and I had to decide when to tell people we are pregnant with our second. With the first baby we immediately told our family and a few close friends who knew we were trying. My mother-in-law’s Baby Radar is off the charts and we wanted to tell her before she figured it out herself. I waited to tell my job and the rest of the world until after my first appointment at the doctor’s office.

This time around we decided to birth at the San Antonio Birthing Center and my first appointment isn’t until I am 10 – 12 weeks along. We just can’t wait that long for confirmation before we tell everyone. Also, with me getting sick so early it is kind of hard to hide. So we told the world last week.

I know some people enjoy having a secret or choose to keep it a secret until they have more confirmation than a pee stick that everything is okay. I have never been through the loss of a pregnancy. I wouldn’t know if I would want the support of my friends if something horrible happens or if I would hate having to tell people over and over again what happened. I think this is one of the main reasons people wait to tell the world. Everyone’s situation is so different based on their previous experiences and the way they handle grief.

It all comes down to the time that you feel comfortable telling everyone. Also, as friends and family we she should never be insulted or upset when we hear that someone else is pregnant and has been for a long time. When someone chooses to tell you is completely up to them.

My husband and I aren’t the kind of people that can keep exciting news to ourselves. Two months ago I told a few friends that I thought I was pregnant only to get a full blown period a few days later and sending out a sheepish email saying I wasn’t after all. (I really think that when you get off the pill your hormones go all wacky.) I would definitely wait until you see the double pink lines before you tell people that you think you are pregnant.

When did you tell people you were pregnant? Was anyone ever insulted that you told them later in your pregnancy? 

Additional Resources:

BabyCenter: When should I tell family members that I’m pregnant?
Mothering: When to tell people that you are pregnant?
The Poop: When should you tell people you’re pregnant?

Yeah, um, we forgot about Friday. We were either on vacation, dealing with a sick child, just posted an article, or staring at a lined trashcan. The last one would be me (Amanda). Two weeks ago I found out that I am pregnant with our second little one. This week I have been laying as still as I can and barfing into the trashcan beside my bed.

Although, I didn’t feel too nauseated not to watch the best show of the summer – So You Think You Can Dance! Can you believe that Will got voted off? I am not sad one bit. Go Chelsie and Joshua!

Back to my point. I have been sick. I have sent out a few emails to my caring friends whining about being nauseated and praying that it goes away sooner than 20 weeks this time around.

So in honor of my morning sickness. Here is a link to my post with 20 Tips for Dealing with Morning, Noon, and Night Sickness. I have certainly been eating whatever I can keep down (hooray for Eggos and bean and cheese tacos.)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I don’t know about you but when dinner time rolls around I usually want something quick, cheap, easy, and healthy. Oh yeah, and kid friendly. Well, sometimes what I cook is probably not considered “kid friendly” but my philosophy is to cook what is good and healthy and they can choose not to eat it. I don’t offer any other dinner choices for them but I usually try to have at least one vegetable or side I know they like. I thought I’d share a few recipes that I use regularly.

Hope it inspires you!

Easy Pesto Pasta

This is probably the EASIEST meal I ever make. And it is yummy. There is lots of room for variation too which I love. My friend Monica brought a version of this over when I had my first baby and I have adapted it a little over the years.

• 1 lb. Whole wheat pasta (whatever kind you like, spaghetti, penne, shells etc.)
• Parmesan Cheese
• Pesto (I usually use the jarred kind unless I happen to have some fresh on hand)
• Meat of some kind (Kielbasa sausage, chicken, shrimp–I just found some really delish chicken, tomato, and basil sausage from Costo that I will be using next time I make this)
• 1/2 to 1 Onion chopped (optional)
• 1 Bell Pepper chopped (optioinal)

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Brown meat, onions, and peppers together in a little olive oil (unless cooking with Kielbasa sausage–you don’t need it then).
3. Drain pasta and add pesto to taste (I usually do 3-4 heaping spoonfuls).
4. Mix meat, peppers, and onions in with pasta.
5. Serve with parmesan cheese on top.

I usually serve this meal with a nice salad.

Thai Chicken Curry

I got this recipe from Sam The Cooking Guy. He has a cooking show on cable and a lot of his recipes look really yummy. I have added this recipe and another one into our regular dinner rotations. I have adjusted this one to add more vegetables into our diet. It works great with leftover grilled or baked chicken.

• 1 Tbsp. Oil
• 1 Small onion, diced
• 1 Clove garlic, crushed (I use 2 and chop them)
• 1 Tbsp. Flour
• 2 Tbsp. Curry Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne (optional–I have never added it because I don’t want to burn my kids’ mouths)
• 1 14 oz. Can coconut milk
• 2 Cups Cooked, diced chicken
• 1-2 Cups Normandy frozen vegetable mix
• 2 Tbsp. Apricot jam

Instructions:

1. Cook onion and garlic in oil until softened–but not too soft.
2. Mix flour and curry powder together, and add to onion mixture.
3. If you want it spicy, this is when you add the cayenne.
4. Stir well for a minute and begin to add about 3/4 can of coconut milk (add all if you like, it will just be a little thinner)
5. Stir in the apricot jam.
6. Add chicken and vegetables and allow to warm all the way through. Salt to taste.
7. Serve on brown rice.

Vegetable Chili STOUP with Baked Quesadillas

This is a Rachael Ray recipe. I know it looks like a lot of ingredients but most of it is things I keep on hand. The thing I love about this is that it is very tasty, super healthy, and easy-peasy.

• 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 Large red or green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 Large jalepeno pepper
• 2 Cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Small zucchini
• 1 Tbsp. Ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp. Chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. Cayenne pepper sauce, like Frank’s Red Hot Salt, to taste (Tobasco works fine and you can use less if you are concerned about heat for kids)
• 1 14 oz. Can Crushed tomatoes
• 4 Cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 Can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Can Dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 Whole wheat flour tortillas
• 2+1/2 Cups Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (one 10 oz. package)
• 2 Scallions, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400

To Make the Stoup:

1. Preheat a soup pot over medium-high.
2. Add oil, onions, carrot, bell pepper, jalepeno, garlic, and zucchini. Saute for 10 minutes.
3. Add cumin, chili powder, cayenne sauce, and salt; stir.
4. Add tomatoes, stock, and beans. Bring soup to a boil. Lower heat and simmer another 10 minutes. DONE!

To Make Quesadillas:

Get out 2 cookie sheets and place 2 tortillas next to each other on each cookie sheet. Cover each tortilla with 1/2 cup of cheese and a few pieces of chopped scallions (optional), then place a tortilla on top of each. Bake 5 minutes to melt cheese and crisp tortillas. Cut quesadillas into 4 wedges each to make a total of 4 quesadilla rounds, 4 wedges per person. Use the wedges to dip in the soup.

I love new recipes and tips for making dinner time less of a hassle so please share them if you’ve got them!

My husband and I are both big-time worriers. When we bought our television, you wouldn’t believe the contraption my husband built behind my armoire to secure it so that the children couldn’t pull the television on them. My son is still in a crib at night and not climbing out, so even though I’m big on baby-proofing, I still had a list of to-do’s in his bedroom. I haven’t been urgent about these to-dos because he is rarely in his bedroom out of his crib for more than a few seconds. Well, a few seconds is too long!

A few weeks ago, my son was playing in his room while I was in my bedroom and I heard a very loud crash. I ran into his room to find his dresser on top of him. Thankfully, he was fine and was not seriously hurt. Do you know what was in his top drawer? Furniture straps that I had already purchased to secure his dresser. Securing his dresser has been on my “list” for quite some time now and it took a very potentially dangerous incident to get us to make his room safe for him. This was one of those cases where I should have nagged my husband to get it done!

I am mortified that this happened and very embarrassed. BUT, hopefully you can learn from my mistake. Please take a look at your furniture and televisions and make sure that your little one cannot pull anything on top of them. 5,000 children go to the ER every year because of furniture or televisions falling on them. I decided not to look up the number of deaths because it’s just so sad to me. Please don’t wait like I did for an accident to happen. Your accident may not have the same outcome as ours!

It’s so simple to prevent furniture from tipping and very inexpensive. Some furniture comes with anti-tip straps. My curious toddler loves to open the drawers of his dresser. With the drawers open, he has the perfect climbing opportunity. This is how I think he pulled his dresser down.

To secure your furniture, televisions, and bookshelves, check out these items:

Safety 1st Furniture Wall Strap $4.29 (this is what we bought for our heavy furniture)

Anti Tip Furniture Strap by KidCo $3.49

Anti-slip Appliance Safety Straps $16.99 (for televisions, computers, microwaves, etc…)

What danger have you ignored with your children?