Let's do some shopping!

Here are some good deals I found today.


Discovery Channel Store - Ancient Mysteries DVD Set on sale for $9.99 (regularly $49.95)

Walmart - Levi Strauss Signature - Women's Low-Rise Boot-Cut Jeans for $9.00 (regularly $19.68)

Jos. A. Bank - They are having an awesome sale with 50% off clearance...really good deals.

Amazon - 40% off children's DVDs.

Amazon - High School Musical Mystery Date for $5.99 (regularly $19.99)

A Day at the Park

We have an English Mastiff, who is sleeping most of the time. He loves to go the park, but it usually takes about 2 days for him to recover.

Christmas is coming!

You don't want to think about it, but it's coming. I'm always on the lookout for good deals throughout the year that would make good Christmas presents, but I usually start getting more serious about it around October. I'll be posting deals that I find pretty frequently, so check back often.

Private parts-How to talk to your preschooler

This is an article that I wrote for my blog at Examiner.com, and I thought some of you may find it helpful as well.

It’s a topic that makes many parents anxious, but one that is important to address. Research shows that as many as 1 out of every 4 children will experience some form of sexual abuse. It is important that we teach our children about inappropriate touching and what they should do if it happens to them.

Let's Name Our Bodyparts

It’s important for young children to learn the correct names for their body parts. Most of us begin playing games with our toddlers that begin teaching the names of the various body parts. Because of our own anxiety about the “private parts”, many of us ignore naming those parts for our children or we give them names that make us more comfortable. A vagina is not a “kitty cat” and a penis is not a “bird”. If your three year old tells her preschool teacher that someone hurt her “kitty cat”, her teacher may not realize she might be disclosing sexual abuse. If you just don’t feel comfortable using the words vagina and penis with your preschooler, using the word “pee pee” will at least help identify that part of the body.

What Are The Rules?

The perfect time to begin teaching your child about bad touches is those times when you’re naming body parts. It’s important to keep it simple. You don’t need to get into a scary conversation with your preschooler. All they need to know is that there are certain parts of their body that are private. What does that mean? That means that no one is allowed to touch those parts unless it’s mommy or daddy helping them go to the potty, bathing them, or applying medicine. You may name other caregivers in your child’s life if appropriate. It’s a good idea to mention that it’s alright for his or her doctor to check those parts as well. Also, something that many caregivers forget is to remind the child that he or she is not allowed to touch anyone else on their private parts. Remember that you need to also talk about what to do if this ever happens. Give your child permission to say “NO!” if he or she feels they are being touched in a place where they shouldn’t be touched. The best thing to do is to have them name at least 5 people they can tell if this is something that does happen to them. These people may include a grandparent, teacher, trusted neighbor, or doctor.

Let’s Talk About Our Safety Rules

As parents, we should be having a regular conversation about safety with our preschoolers. In my home, I will periodically say “Let’s talk about our safety rules”. We talk about wearing our seatbelt when we’re in a car, wearing our helmet when riding our bicycle, never running into the street, etc. Sometime during that conversation I’ll say “What are the rules about our private parts?” That question turns into naming the private parts and what they should do if touched on a private part.

As parents, we want to keep our children safe. It is our responsibility to teach them to keep themselves safe as well. This does not have to be a painful conversation unless we make it one.

For more information on child sexual abuse, one of my favorite websites is www.darkness2light.org/

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Mad Dash for the School Bus

My daughter (we'll call her A) started preschool this year because she doesn't turn 5 until November. The public school in our community has a preschool program, and the tuition is very reasonable. She gets to ride the school bus, which she loves, and it picks her up at around 8am. At 7:51am this morning my husband (Big T) nudges me and says, "Doesn't A have to catch the bus soon?" I glance at the clock and quickly jump out of bed, with a few choice words, and throw on my sweats. As I enter her room and say "A, it's time to get up", she stretches her arms above her head very slowly. Then I say, "Hurry, or you'll miss the bus". Now I'm thinking there is no way we're going to make it outside before the bus. She then jumps up really quickly and we put on her comfy green pants and cute Andy Warhol-style Shrek shirt. I tell her to slide on her shoes and go to the potty. As she does that, I grab her jacket and backpack. A has barely got her pants up and I'm trying to put on her jacket. She says, "It's ok mommy...I slept late too". I grab a comb and a hair tie and we run out the front door and across our neighbor's yard, since we catch the bus in their driveway. I comb her hair quickly and just as I'm pulling her hair back and through the final loop in the tie, the bus pulls to a stop at the end of the driveway. As she turns around to give me a kiss, I realize that we didn't wipe the morning crust off of her face.

Mom, I need to tell you something.

So last night I was sitting on he couch with my 4 year old daughter when she looks down at the floor and says, "Mom, I need to tell you something." I ask her what she needs to tell me, wondering what she has broken, colored, or otherwise damaged. She continues to look down at the floor and says, "Well....(long pause for dramatic effect)...I'm in love with you. I miss you and think about you when you're at work. It's really true that I'm in love with you."

So, with my heart in a big puddle at my feet, I give her a big hug. It's time like this when I'm reminded of how truly blessed I am.