Monday, February 29, 2016

Are Proud Parents Annoying Their Facebook Friends?

I have wondered this question about my own posting habits: Am I annoying people?

I actually enjoy seeing friends and family's children grow and achieve. I empathize when their kids are suffering illness. I feel like it creates a connection. We can be in each other's daily lives and experience the beautiful moments of childhood together, no matter how far away we are. Not to mention how it keeps our little ones busy looking at the babies and kids on our Facebook feeds.

It seems that there is no need to fret.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Is Being Empathetic Parents Physiologically Destroying Us?

As "good parents," we are supposed to teach our children empathy. Right?

How do we do that? By showing them empathy, of course. By empathizing with them and their feelings. We all have our own ways of doing this. (An entire topiz for another day.)


  

We know that being an empathetic parent is excellent for our children's physical and emotional well-being and teaches them how to be empathetic toward others. Empathy is supposed to be a positive quality for parents. 

That is what I have always thought, anyway. Up until now. Am I alone here?

Friday, February 26, 2016

Poor Baby Has A Cold? My Favorite Homeopathic (Natural) Remedies for Baby and Children

The yuckiest part about colds is that here our little one is, miserable and cranky, they cannot breathe and that rotten cough keeps them awake at night, and there's not a whole lot we can do about it, either.

Or, is there?

Actually, there is!


Thursday, February 25, 2016

"Who Touched My PHONE?!?!?!"

Sound familiar?

It is not thieves I have to worry about stealing my phone. In a house of nine children, it is not unusual to hear me clamoring, “Who touched my phone?”

It goes missing almost daily, sometimes even on an hourly basis. I plug it in, set in on the windowsill of my bedroom, and when I go back to it, all that is left of my phone is the charger cord, dangling lonely from the electric outlet.

Obviously, I am not going to get a straight answer from the kids, and, certainly, no one is quick to offer up a confession. (It Wasn't Me and I Didn't Do That do everything "bad" in my house, and I have yet to locate them!) 


Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Congrats, Tyra Bank! Baby York is Beautiful! (IMAGE)

I am a little late on this one, so please forgive me, but I have to say my part about Tyra Banks' new bundle of joy.

First of all, congrats to Miss Tyra on her beautiful baby boy, simply named York. Her post on Instagram claimed, "This is the happiest Valentine's Day of my life."



I must say, motherhood suits her!

She calls baby York her "miracle baby." For those of you who don't pay attention to celeb news or just happened to miss out on this one, Tyra Banks and her Norwegian photographer boyfriend, Erik Asla, had the help of a surrogate for the pregnancy. Tyra refers to the surrogate as, "the angel of a woman." Tyra also posted on Facebook, "We pray for everyone who struggles to reach this joyous milestone."

Tyra was basically in tears when she discussed her fertility issues on now-cancelled show, FABLife, last September. She cried, "I am so tired of seeing on my social media, 'Why don't you have kids? Why don't you have kids?' You don't know. You don't know what I'm going through," Tyra said.

I admit, it would be difficult for me if I had been unable to carry and give birth to my children. I am not sure if I would be strong enough to endure a pregnancy in which someone else was carrying my baby. (Although, I have a feeling "the angel of a woman" was highly compensated and well taken care of throughout the nine months of gestation.)

During the same show, FABLife, Chrissy Teigen (ahem, John Legend's wife, in case you didn't know) also relayed some of her feelings regarding her experiences with infertility. "I can't imagine being that nosy to be like, 'So, when are the kids coming?' Because who knows what somebody's going through? Who knows if somebody's struggling to have children?" Teigen said.

I can relate to how it feels to want a baby. Most of us moms can. It is a feeling that, I would assume, as a woman gets older and older, becomes stronger and more deep-seated. I truly admire Tyra's decision to elicit the help of a surrogate after not being able to conceive naturally.

Tyra has announced, "He's got my fingers and big eyes and his daddy Erik’s mouth and chin." Though the bond that occurs during pregnancy was basically non-existent for Tyra, she is making up for that divide now that she can hold her son in her hands. As far as dissecting his features, we all do that with our precious little newborns!

Miss Tyra has fallen into the role of a new mom nicely, though. She and baby York look so relaxed and bonded already in the picture Tyra posted on Instagram. And, lucky her, she doesn't have to worry about post-pregnancy weight loss or any of the hormones or other yucky parts that come along with having a baby.

And baby York is beautiful! Or, at least, from what I can see, he is.

To bring this whole story full circle, I have another picture to show you. Having seen these two women crying about their infertility woes on national television, it brings a smile to my face seeing the picture above of Tyra Banks and these pictures right here:


 

Yep, they're pregnant! If that picture is not clear enough for you to tell, here is one from the 2016 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue fan festival on February 17:




Congratulations to both mamas and daddies! While the struggle was real, the blessings are endless!














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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Charlize Theron Is No "Monster Mom"

The paparazzi has a way of snapping pics at just the right time.

OK! Magazine titled their article "Monster Mom! Charlize Theron Snapped Dragging 4-Year-Old Son! Family Relationship Expert Dissects Shocking Photos." Obviously, it's a play on her role in the movie, Monster, but it's far from the truth.

The "shocking" photos:


Saturday, February 13, 2016

Goofing Up - New Book Release - FREE Today and Tomorrow!

Head over to Amazon on this beautiful Valentine's weekend and download my latest parenting book, Goofing Up today or tomorrow!

Description @ Amazon:

Parenthood is a tough job! In the end, all we want is to raise our children the best we can.

There are so many temptations to be lax or to be our child’s best friend. We are often too tired to dole out consequences and hold our children accountable. This is when we tend to goof parenting up the most. 


Goofing Up is a study of natural human behavior pitted against social etiquette and majority rule in the parent-child setting. Parents will experience a new perspective on making mistakes and parenthood. In her usual, no-nonsense, question the “experts” attitude, Cousins tackles each one of these 22 parenting blunders and shares her personal confessions, as a mom of nine, as well as how parents can stop goofing up. 

Regarding making our children share their toys and other belongings with other kids, she says: 

“Can you go to work one day and decide you prefer to sit at your co-worker’s desk, because they have a comfortable chair and a faster computer? Would telling your boss your co-worker will not share with you help? (I can just hear it now.) ‘Lucas won’t share his desk with me!’

We are obsessed with making our children share. Think about this for a moment. Why do we make our children share?” 


Some of the parenting mistakes Cousins confesses to are controversial, while others are so common, most parents may not even realize they are goofing up on a regular basis. Get Goofing Up today and stop goofing up! 


“Goofing Up exposes how easy it is to make mistakes as a parent, as well as highlights mistakes parents do not recognize they are goofing up. Cousins opens up as a mother, with her sarcastic wit and matter-of-factness, admitting to making all of the common mistakes. She shares her expertise and research with other parents to help them realize not only how easy it is to goof up parenting, but also how easy it is to stop making the same mistakes. A must-read for any parent!” – Publishing World 



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