The Parenting WeblogParenting, Family, and Child HealthOne up game- May 31, 2008 Have you ever had to talk to a &39;one upper&39; They are the people who can always top whatever story you have to tell. They are the people who know someone who can sort out every issue. They think they know more than everyone but often don&39;t even grasp how annoying they are. A variety of the one upper is the parent who won&39;t stop talking about their kid&39;s achievements. They love to play the comparison game - how Junior walked, talked or did their taxes before everyone else. How...http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/one_up_game.php Memorial Day- May 27, 2008 We had a great holiday except for the few days I was sick as a dog with kidney stones. I don&39;t even wish those on my worst enemy. I resisted my usual ER trip for leftover pain meds and sleeping the stones off - 12 hours later, I was fine but we&39;d already had to reschedule friends coming over. When I was resting at one point, I thought about how we should have done more to go over Memorial Day with our daughter. We are big history buffs and news junkies, so our daughter has a context of...http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/memorial_day.php Summer swim- May 23, 2008 Our neighborhood swim season has begun. We live in the suburbs, with lots of developments all backed in. Many of the neighborhoods sponsor a swim team and they all compete in a summer league. They hire a college student to coach and all of the older neighborhoods teens help coach as well. The parents all volunteer to help with setup, judging lanes, timing, selling snacks and anything else that needs to be done. It&39;s a nice tradition and a great way to meet people in the neighborhood....http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/summer_swim.php Driving and crying- May 22, 2008 I was driving around our neighborhood today delivering our newsletter. I came to a cul de sac and there was this young lady, maybe 13 or 13, sitting on the side of the curb. She was crying as quietly as she could but the pain on her young face was evident. Her eyes were red and she was slumped over. I was genuinely worried about her. I stopped to pick up my daughter who was putting newsletters in mailboxes and ask the young lady if she was ok. She said yes and I followed up with a comment...http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/driving_and_crying.php Braces- May 19, 2008 Last week our regular dentist said it was time to get an orthodontist to take a look at our daughter&39;s teeth. We thought we&39;d avoid this - last year they said her teeth looked great and she probably wouldn&39;t need them. One year later, it is now probable the other way. I knew I should have made a retainer out of aluminum foil and a parts of plastic soda bottle. So we are headed to the orthodontist for a consult. The ever hyper parent, I&39;ve been researching local orthodontists -...http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/braces.php Skinny mini- May 17, 2008 My daughter is skinny enough now that I&39;m wondering about protein shakes. The kid is still eating but she has just grown a lot and gotten some seriously long legs. We eat healthy and she&39;s a great eater of fruits and veggies. Skim milk, low fat soy milk, low-fat pudding, 2% cheeses, fruits and veggies, 100 calorie packs of snacks, etc are all a regular part of her diet. Today she had a doughnut and strawberries for breakfast - we&39;ve been adding doughnuts and croissants to up her...http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/skinny_mini.php Six pack- May 15, 2008 The rumor is true - Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are having twins. The duo for the duo will bring their total up to six children. The twins will be the new kids in the block in the group of Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh. Shiloh was the first biological child of the pair while Maddox, Pax and Zahara were adopted by Jolie on her own and later by Pitt. Humorously it was Jack Black who spilled the beans in an interview on NBC&39;s Today show, joking with reporter Natalie Morales that Jolie would.http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/six_pack.php The short end of the shopping bag- May 14, 2008 My daughter is in such a growth spurt. She&39;s taller and lankier - some people who don&39;t see her regularly don&39;t even recognize her. After swimming this afternoon, she went to sleep about 6pm and still hasn&39;t woken up. We went shopping at Justice for some shorts and skirts. I&39;m relatively comfortable with that store although any place that sells the same article of clothing that can range from size XXS for like six to seven year old girls to XXL for 14 to 16 year old young...http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/the_short_end_of_the_shopping_bag.php edhelper.com- May 13, 2008 We are big on doing extra school work during breaks and holidays plus having additional info on topics that our daughter may struggle with in school. I don&39;t want to overload by child so a quick worksheet is great to keep them fresh or get more work on problem areas. About three years ago I found a great site that I&39;ve more than gotten my money from, edhelper.com. I decided to check it out after seeing it on a handout from a teacher once. I&39;ve stopped buying workbooks because this...http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/edhelpercom.php Slow starters- May 12, 2008 My daughter is a slow starter in the morning. Getting her out of bed in the morning is a major excavation project. She&39;s been late to school so often this year that we got a note from the school. We&39;ve backed up her bedtime, voluntarily even. I get her up earlier. I&39;ve done the super nice warm cajoling. I&39;ve done the fierce barking. I&39;ve done both in the same morning. We&39;ve tried grounding if she&39;s problematic in the morning. We&39;ve gone positive giving her points for..http://www.parenting-weblog.com/50226711/slow_starters.php |