My Memories Software {Giveaway!}

As most of you know, I love scrapbooking. While I prefer the hands-on approach, I know digital is the fastest and most econimcal way to go, so it is a great option for moms. So I was very excited to have the opportunity to offer this giveaway of digital scrapbooking software from My Memories! 

My Memories is award winning scrapbook software. It is easy to use, and you can use it for more than scrapbooking. You can make calendars, photobooks, cards, DVDs, and gifts. The software is inexpensive (retails for $40.00) and very organized.


All of you can use this special coupon code: STMMMS3906. This coupon provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value! That cuts down your cost significantly!


Of course one of you also will get to win a copy of this software! Here is the entry info:

For Your First Entry:
Become a follower of this blog. Then leave a comment. If you are already a follower (the
thing where your cute face pops up with all the other cute faces of people following),
comment telling me so.

Sample Entry
I am a follower of Chronicles of a Babywise Mom!

For Your Second Entry:
Visit  www.MyMemories.com.  Look at their kits (they have free and ones you pay for). Comment with your favorite kit.

Sample Entry
I like the Candy Fairway pack.

For Your Third Entry:
Like Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Facebook. Already do? Tell me so. Comment saying you like it.

Sample Entry
Hi! I like Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Facebook!

For Your Fourth Entry:
Like on My Memories Facebook. Comment saying you did so.

Sample Entry
I like them on Facebook!

For Your Fifth Entry:
Follow Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Twitter.

Sample Entry
Hi! I follow Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Twitter!


For Your Sixth Entry:
Follow My Memories on Twitter. comment saying you are.

Sample Entry
I am now following My Memories on Twitter!

For Your Seventh Entry:
Follow the My Memories blog:  http://blog.mymemories.com/. They have freebies, tutorials, ideas...lots of good stuff!

Sample Entry
I am now a follower!

Entry Rules

• You must leave a comment in order to have an entry.
• You must leave a separate comment for each entry. This is not so I can get lots of comments--it is because it makes it a million times easier to choose a winner. It takes less time, and less time is good. Plus, it makes sure I don't miss an entry.
• You don't have to do all seven entries...for example, if you just want to follow this blog, you can just do entry one.
• One entry per comment.
• Up to seven entries per person.
• You must fulfill the rules of each entry for each entry to count. If I see the entry is not valid (did not meet entry requirements), I will disqualify your entry. Trust me, I check.
• Entries will be accepted until Saturday, February 4 when I choose the winner.
• The winner will be randomly selected at random.org
• The winner will be announced Saturday, February 4.
• If you would like, you can add your email address to your entry. If you are the winner, I will email you to let you know. You do not need to add your email address in order to win. I understand not everyone wants to share their email addresses with the world. I will announce the winner on the blog, so you can check the blog Saturday to find out if you won.
• Once the winner is announced, you will have one week to contact me or another winner will be chosen. Be sure to check back. The only thing worse than not winning is to win but not realize it in time!

Colief Drops {Winner}

The winner of the Colief Drops ( http://www.babywisemom.com/2012/01/colief-drops-giveaway.html) is...

julieb!

Congrats! Please email me at valplowman@gmail.com with your email address. You have one week or another winner will be chosen.

52 Small Changes {Winner!}

The winner of the book 52 Small Changes ( http://www.babywisemom.com/2012/01/52-small-changes-giveaway.html) is...

Kristin (this one http://www.blogger.com/profile/11693910884104724410)

Please email me at valplowman@gmail.com with your mailing address. You have one week or another winner will be chosen. Congrats!

Pinteresting Fridays: Chore Charts

Here are some great ideas for Chore Charts! I think mixing it up and having lots of different ways to manage chores makes the whole process more fun for all.

Chore Chart

by Contented Homemaker

Free Printable Chore Charts

by Chorecharts.com

Chore Door Hanger

by ??? (Link to no where)

Chore Chart 

by I Can Teach My Child

Downloadable Chore Charts

by Brought to You by the Letter B

And here are chore ideas from me:

Chore Wheel

Chore Cards

Chore Jar

Chore Cards

Chore Charts

The "D" Word

image source

The D word. It gets a bad wrap these days. You say the word discipline and people seem to immediately imagine beatings with a metal rod. Discipline means nothing more than "to train." There are a lot of training methods out there--there are more variances than  probably any other point in the history of humanity.

Let me tell you something.  Whether you  like it or not, it is your job to train your child--or in other words--to discipline your child. Even a baby needs discipline. A baby can get herself into a lot of precarious situations. A baby does not know what is safe and what is not safe. You need to teach her--train her---discipline her to know what is and is not okay. 

Not only is discipline your job, it expresses love to your child. In  The 5 Love Languages of Children , we read, "Love looks out for the interests of another; so does discipline. so discipline is certainly an act of love. And the more a child feels loved, the easier it is to discipline that child" (page 121). I like that quote because it shows both that discipline is an act of love and that we need to show love as we provide discipline. Discipline doesn't need to mean that we are angry--it just means we are teaching and training. 

So don't be afraid of the D word. You do nothing wrong in providing discipline for your children. Semantics are of little consequence, so if the D word gets you dirty looks and angry comments, call it teaching or call it training. It doesn't matter--the methods and end results are the same. 

Poll Results: What was baby's independent playtime length at 6-7 months old?

5-10 minutes once a day	2 (2%)
5-10 minutes twice a day	15 (16%)
10-20 minutes once a day	10 (11%)
10-20 minutes twice a day	39 (43%)
30-40 minutes	16 (17%)
40-50 minutes	1 (1%)
50-60 minutes	6 (6%)

Votes so far: 89 

RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS:

• Poll results
• independent playtime

Reminder: You can leave comments on poll results posts if you would like to add to the poll after it has closed. This would be helpful for those who have more than one child, those whose children have reached certain ages after a poll closed, and those who didn't visit the blog while that poll was open. To find closed polls, click on the poll results link above

Won't Stay in Independent Playtime

I think just about every child goes through a time period when he or she tests the waters of getting out of independent playtime over and over again. Reasons can vary from not wanting to play to testing the boundaries when something new like potty training comes along. The question parents have is, what do you do about it?

Make Sure Time is Right

There are times of day that are better for independent play than others. Right before a meal is not good. Right before a nap is not good. Some children are fussy in the evenings, making evening not a good time.

Make Sure Length is Right

If independent play is longer than is appropriate for your child, your child will get restless toward the end of independent play and want to get out. See Independent Playtime Lengths for more.

Make Sure Toys are Age Appropriate

A toy that is too young for your child (not stimulating) will not be of interest to your child. Your child will then not want to stay in independent playtime. Conversely, if the toys are beyond your child's ability, your child will become frustrated and seek help to use the toy. 

Along the same lines, keep toys rotated. Even an age appropriate toy can get boring after too long.

Teach Acceptable Behavior

Once you are sure the timing is right and the toys are right, explain to your child what is and is not okay. Explain that your child is not allowed to get out without permission. Do explain when it is okay to get out. I would suggest you have a monitor in with your child so you can hear (and see if you have a video monitor) if your child needs you. 

Return Child Immediately

When your child gets out, return the child to independent playtime even if it is time to get out. If it is time to get out, return your child, reminding her that she needs to wait for Mommy to get her out. Then wait a minute or two and get her out. You want the precedent to be that the child gets out when you get her.

Use the Clock

You can tell your child the time on the clock when she can get out or you can use an "okay to wake" clock.

Work on Obedience

If your child obeys you, your child will stay in independent play until you come and get him. If you find your child is not listening to you well throughout the day, then you will not fix independent play issues by changing toys or time of day will not fix the issue.

Praise Obedience

When your child starts to stay in independent play until you come get her or until it is time, be sure to tell her she did a great job and thank her for obeying you. 

Related Posts/Blog Labels:

• Independent Playtime Lengths 
• The Timer
• Independent Playtime:http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/independent-playtime.html
• Independent Playtime blog label
• BW II: Freedoms:http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/babywise-ii-freedoms.html
• Discipline: Step-by-step Process
• Toddler/Child Getting Out of Bed 
• The Choice Addiction (for Toddlers) 
• Too Many Freedoms
• Wise In Your Own Eyes

Dropping 3rd Nap Impact

image source

Dropping the third nap (the evening nap) will impact the rest of your child's day. Dropping the third nap usually happens around 8 months of age, though the range is 6-11 months.

On Becoming Babywise says, "Once the third nap is dropped, both waketime and often the other remaining naptimes will increase in duration" (page 133). This would mean that baby will likely be awake for other times of day and will likely take a longer nap for the other naps.

For my children, however, they were up for two hours, slept for two hours, up for two hours, slept for two hours. They didn't really increase waketime or naptime length. I found that they instead moved bedtime up by about 30 minutes. 

You could let your child sleep for 2.5 hours and also stay up longer if that didn't interfere with the nap. If your child can't stay up longer than two hours and won't sleep longer than two hours, try moving bedtime up by 30 minutes--at least for a little while. As your child gets older, you can move bedtime back.

Related Posts/Blog Labels: 

• In Action: Dropping the Third Nap:http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/02/in-action-dropping-3rd-nap.html
• Dropping the 3rd Nap (evening):http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/dropping-3rd-nap-evening.html
• Dropping Naps:http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/dropping-naps.html
• Dropping Naps: A Quick Reference :http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/11/dropping-naps-quick-reference.html
• Dropping Naps Blog Label

Colief Drops {Giveaway}

I can't even begin to pretend to know what it is like to have a baby with colic, but I know many of you do. I do know what it is like to have a baby with reflux and a baby with severe gas, and I remember that I was willing to do whatever it took to help my baby be comfortable (you know, within safety).

That is why I was very interested in doing a giveaway of this product on my blog. I hope the product can be of help to many of you out there.

Trusted for years in the United Kingdom, Colief Infant Drops was born out of one mother’s determined search for the answer to her own daughter’s suffering. Colief Infant Drops is made from lactase, an enzyme naturally occurring in our bodies, is safe to use with babies from birth, whether breast or formula-fed, at every feeding, and is proven to greatly reduce the hours of inconsolable crying caused by infant colic.

The creators and those that work with of Colief Infant Drops truly believe they can be a preventative ally of comfort for all parents, not just another coping mechanism. 

Check it out here: http://www.colief.us/buy-colief

One of you will win your own drops today! Let's enter:

For Your First Entry:
Become a follower of this blog. Then leave a comment. If you are already a follower (the
thing where your cute face pops up with all the other cute faces of people following),
comment telling me so.

Sample Entry
I am a follower of Chronicles of a Babywise Mom!

For Your Second Entry:
Check out the FAQs for Colief here:  http://www.colief.us/faqs. Then comment saying you did so.

Sample Entry
I read the FAQs.

For Your Third Entry:
Like Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Facebook. Already do? Tell me so. Comment saying you like it.

Sample Entry
Hi! I like Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Facebook!

For Your Fourth Entry:
Read the Colief story:  http://www.colief.us/the-colief-story . Then comment saying you did so.

Sample Entry
I read the story. I love how proactive she was in helping her baby!

For Your Fifth Entry:
Follow Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Twitter.

Sample Entry
Hi! I follow Chronicles of a Babywise Mom on Twitter!


For Your Sixth Entry:
Share how you help with colic symptoms.

Sample Tweet
I haven't found anything that really helps yet. 

Sample Entry
I tweeted!

For Your Seventh Entry:
Free entry! But you have to enter.

Sample Entry
I am entering!

Entry Rules

• You must leave a comment in order to have an entry.
• You must leave a separate comment for each entry. This is not so I can get lots of comments--it is because it makes it a million times easier to choose a winner. It takes less time, and less time is good. Plus, it makes sure I don't miss an entry.
• You don't have to do all seven entries...for example, if you just want to follow this blog, you can just do entry one.
• One entry per comment.
• Up to seven entries per person.
• You must fulfill the rules of each entry for each entry to count. If I see the entry is not valid (did not meet entry requirements), I will disqualify your entry. Trust me, I check.
• Entries will be accepted until Saturday, January 28 when I choose the winner.
• The winner will be randomly selected at random.org
• The winner will be announced Saturday, January 28.
• If you would like, you can add your email address to your entry. If you are the winner, I will email you to let you know. You do not need to add your email address in order to win. I understand not everyone wants to share their email addresses with the world. I will announce the winner on the blog, so you can check the blog Saturday to find out if you won.
• Once the winner is announced, you will have one week to contact me or another winner will be chosen. Be sure to check back. The only thing worse than not winning is to win but not realize it in time!