Archives for March 2011

Top 10 Sandra Boynton Books

March 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment

I never heard of Sandra Boynton or board books until Harrison was born. Suddenly a few similar books started rising into the regular rotation of books that we would read at night time and I took notice. Half of the time it was because my son would request it, the other half was because it’s the book I really wanted to read to him that night. I really loved these books and they seemed so simple but the art and writing is just amazing. It captivated my boys and the books never became one that I dreaded having to read yet again. The amazing thing about the Sandra Boynton books is both of my sons had the same reaction to them. They both had their favorites but they both loved having these books read to them.

So, without further ados, here are my top 10 favorite Sandra Boynton books

1. Oh My, Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!

This book started my oldest sons complete and total love of all things Dinosaurs! He loved this book. He used to call “Me oh My” and at night time when we asked him what he wanted to read he would keep saying “My oh My” over and over again. Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! by Sandra Boynton is available at Amazon for $5.26.

2. Snuggle Puppy!

This book holds a very special place in my heart. I love it for two reasons. The first is pretty typical, the story/song is well written, it’s fun to read and the art is great. The second and most important reason is I LOVED listening to my wife enthusiastically sing this book to my children and loved hearing their giggles as it was sung to them. It’s really a fond memory and I have never actually told my wife that part of it. It’s available at Amazon for $5.25 at Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton.

3. But not the Hippopotamus

This is another book that I had a fun time reading. I guess I can’t really keep repeating that with every book I list since I enjoyed reading all of the books on this list but regardless, this one was a fun read. I loved how they giggled when I would say “But not the Hippopotamus” in a different goofy voice each time. It’s available at Amazon for $4.59 at But not the Hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton.

4. Hippos Go Berserk

My younger son Sean, LOVES this book. He loves it enough that my older son started asking Sean to stop picking it as his night time book. The book starts with a lonely hippo that calls a few friends over for a party. The party gets out of hand, tons of Hippos arrive and go berserk and party all night. When the party is over, all the hippos leave and the story ends with the one Hippo being all alone again. Every time I read this book, Sean would put on this cute little sad face and ask why all the Hippo’s left him all alone. It was very sweet. It’s available for $6.77 at Hippos Go Berserk! by Sandra Boynton.

5. Barnyard Dance

Like a lot of Sandra’s books, this one was written as a song but it has a very sing-songy feel to it. It’s about all the barnyard animals getting together and having a big dance. I always end up singing the book all the way through and tapping my feet as my boys sit on my lap. It’s available for $15.77 at Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton.

6. Moo, Baa, La La La!

This book is described on Amazon as “serious silliness” and that hits the nail on the head. It’s fun, it’s silly and like all the other books it’s a great read. It’s about farm animals and the kinds of noises they make with some purposeful errors thrown in for fun. It’s available for $6.99 at Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton.

7. Opposites

Another great book that teaches by showing two things that are the opposite of each other and describing them as such. It helped my sons understand the concept of size and did it in an enjoyable fashion. It’s available for $5.51 at Opposites by Sandra Boynton.

8. The Going to Bed Book

It’s funny because the book was about going to bed but for whatever reason my youngest son wanted to read it in the morning when sleep was the last thing on his mind more than he ever wanted to read it at night. Maybe he thought by not picking it at night he would somehow sneak by and not have to go to sleep but for whatever reason it was a favorite morning book of Sean’s. Both kids enjoyed it though and it is available for $5.02 on Amazon at The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton.

9. Hey! Wake Up!

As funny as it was that Sean wanted to read the Going to Bed Book in the morning, he picked the Hey! Wake Up! book in the evenings before bed. I suspect it was wishful thinking but either way it was a great book. It’s available on Amazon for $5.72 at Hey! Wake Up! by Sandra Boynton.

10. Bob: And 6 More Christmas Stories

I love Christmas time and this past year, this was Sean’s favorite book to read leading up to the great event (the coming of Santa Claus). He loved reading about Bob the reindeer, a tiny little reindeer who is silly and fun. It only made the bottom of our list because it’s not a book we read year round but rather one we read one month a year. The book has 7 stories total and is available on Amazon for $3.65 at Bob: And 6 More Christmas Stories by Sandra Boynton.

We have just about every Sandra Boynton book that has been released and it was actually quite hard to limited ourselves to our favorite 10. I was pretty excited to listen to an interview on NPR about Sandra and to find out that she lives in Philadelphia. We are only an hour and a half out of Philly and love to go into the city when we can. It’s nice to know that an author that has meant so much to us lives in our back yard. It somehow makes her feel more relevant to our lives.

Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

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What’s Your Parenting Style?

March 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment

So — there I was minding my own business, when all of a sudden I stumbled upon a parenting article written by Mayim Bialik. If you aren’t familiar with her name, you might know her from the movie Beaches and the TV show Blossom. She wrote a blog post which caught my attention; Why I don’t don’t force my kids to say ‘please’ or walk on schedule.

What? She doesn’t make her kids say please? But why? I was immediately sucked in and began to read.

I read a lot about parenting

Now, I have read a lot of parenting books, blogs, and the like. If I’m going to be 100% honest, I’ll tell you that some of it confuses the heck out of me. One book says to do things one way, and another says the complete opposite. So I take what I think is helpful and I leave the rest by the wayside — or lock it up my subconscious to pull out at a later date if needed.

Right after reading Mayim’s post, I thought to myself “Well, there is absolutely nothing I will take away from that article!”

I guess her parenting style might be attachment parenting combined with what some call slow parenting.

What my parenting style is NOT

I knew even before the boys were born, that attachment parenting was not for me. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with it — it’s just not my style. I’m sure there are some fantastic attachment parenting — twin parents out there, but I am not one of them. It’s hard enough to get sleep with one newborn but if you are demand feeding, co-sleeping and sling wearing twins, triplets or more? That could be tough. Plus, I have yet to see a comfortable sling for twin parents. Does this look comfortable to anyone here? You decide…

Found on Amazon.com

In relation to the slow parenting — I honestly don’t have the patience for it. I promise that I am working on taking it down a notch. I’m not a hyper scheduler or type A personality which helps, but it is hard! As I’ve mentioned before my kids dawdle like crazy!

Another thing that I just can’t get on-board with, is not reminding your kids to be polite and that includes sharing. Sorry Mayim, if I see you in the park and your kids want to play with something my kids have — my children will be asked by me, to share with your kids. I don’t care if your kids share or not, but mine will. I will always encourage my children to say please and thank you; just as my Mom and my grandparents encouraged me to. It’s polite. People who go out of their way do to nice things or give you something, deserve to be thanked. It’s common courtesy. If you are a courteous individual, you will be successful in whatever you do, because people appreciate being appreciated.

Some people have said that Mayim’s methods are extreme. While I don’t think her style would work for me I, wouldn’t say she’s extreme. Would one say that the Amish are extreme? Probably not, they just live simply and Mayim parents simply (though I wouldn’t think it would be simple at all. It sounds like a lot more work to me). In other words, she parents organically — meaning she goes with the natural flow and follows her children’s ques. You will not find any TV watching, Leapfrog game systems, or other automated learning toys. I honestly don’t know how she does it. She notes that she still nurses her her 2yr old on demand; which includes feeding every two hours during the night. Wow! I think Moms who breastfeed are the bomb! I wasn’t able to – but I have much respect for those who do – but every 2 hours? That has got to be messing with everyone’s REM sleep.

After reading Mayim’s article it got me thinking, “What is my parenting style?”

My parenting style

For one thing, I need my sleep too much to do what she does. Maybe that makes me selfish, but I am a much more patient mom – and all around better person – when I have had enough rest. That’s why it was important for me to develop a routine (or some will call it sleep training) for the twins. I am happy to report that they are no worse for the wear. In fact, they are excellent sleepers (like their momma). At almost 4 years old, they still take a 1-2hr nap everyday — and no, it doesn’t have any impact on how they sleep at night. The boys were sleeping through the night (6hrs) without waking up at around 3 months old. They did have one very late feeding around 11pm — and then would sleep until 5 or 6am. I had them on a sleep – eat – wake schedule and it worked beautifully for us. It wasn’t too strict but it was a routine that helped all three of us get through our day.

I guess my parenting involves a mixture of things. I’m not really a natural parent but I there are some things that might be considered natural parenting – like making all of the boys’ baby food – but then there are other things – like using disposable diapers – that would cancel that out. I do let my kids watch TV but I limit what and how much they watch. PBS is our best friend because of the educational programming; minus the commercials.

I am probably more overprotective than I should be; I’m trying to loosen up a bit now that they are getting older. I do worry about them getting hurt or something bad happening to them if they are out of my sight. I am working on not hovering though. I am starting to realize that if they use scissors and cut themselves, they’ll probably be more careful next time. So if I warn them not to do something several times and they just keep doing it, that must mean they need to learn the hard way, to get it to sink in. It makes me sad when my children get hurt, disappointed, or upset but it’s just part of life. I try to remind myself that orotecting them from everything is not only impossible, it also won’t allow them to gain life skills they need to survive in the world. Again, this is something I am working on.

I do use time-outs, I don’t spank my children, and on occasion — I have been know to yell to try to get their attention. Which by the way, rarely works.

I guess there isn’t really a label for my parenting style — or even Mayim’s for that matter. We are both moms, who are following our own instincts. We both love our children and want them to be happy and well adjusted. We are both working hard to encourage and support our children so they can live their best life.

Even though she and I parent differently, I did take away something from her article — that I should back off a little. I need to step away, take a deep breath, and let the boys play and explore without intruding on their natural learning. When they are fighting instead of just “fixing” whatever is happening, I should allow them to work it out (ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, but the crying and whining can be really hard to listen to).

There are a lot of things I’ll keep the same. I’ll still always remind them to share and of course, to say please and thank you.

So what is your parenting style?

Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

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Considerations Before Moving

March 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Ok, so it has been a while since I last posted and there is good reason for this. See, I’ve decided fairly recently, to move to a new house. Let me go over this decision with a little more detail.

It started about a year ago. I’ve always liked the area where my brother lives, which is about 15km away from the capitol city. It is a nice neighborhood with good, smaller schools, all the amenities you need, it is secure, quite picturesque in some areas, and quite secure as well.

So, I’ve been thinking about ways to be able to move there because of all the things I mentioned above but there were considerations I needed to go through first. Very important considerations for a single mom of two kids.

1. Cost

Much as I loved my brother’s area, it was definitely more expensive than where I am currently living. It would take an additional 20k to move there. It would mean an additional amount for commute expense, an additional amount for rent, and for water. In dollars, that would mean an additional $466 a month. That is not easy to do since that amount is a little higher than entry level salaries for a lot of jobs here. I had to figure out how to make an extra 20k on top of the salary I get from my full time job.

2. Schools

My kids already have a school where we are now. It is just a preschool but, since my kids are only preschool age, it give me time to look around and budget for a big kids school. Schools in my brother’s area were more expensive and were fewer in choice but the chances of getting a school with a good reputation for good education is easier. Public schooling in my country generally is not so great. there are a handful of public schools that are considered very good so you can imagine what you need to do to get a spot there. Ironic huh? So, if you want to give your kids a good chance at making it in the future, you have to spend for schooling.

Those were the top considerations for moving to another area, specifically that area where my brother stays. Needless to say, I suspended that thought and set it aside, thinking that I would not need to go back to it for another year or so at the least.

Well, turns out my parents were looking to move as well and decided to look in that same area. Since it would suit all parties involved, we decided to join forces. Because of that, we were able to come up with a good enough budget to sustain a household.

So, important things to think about when scouting for a change of address (as I have come to know and understand it from my experience):

1. cost of commute and utilities- some areas, being farther away from the business district, cost more to get out of and back to at the end of the day. For the same reason, proximity to the capitol city, some utilities may cost more or less. So there has to be room in the budget for these considerations.

2. cost of schooling- this is important if you have kids. There is no use in moving to a place where you can afford the standard of living but not the schooling.

3. cost of food and shelter- this has to be considered because it is part of budgeting your cost of living.

All three points are not ranked in order of importance because I think they are all equally essential. Of course, I am currently in the process of moving so there are many things I am sure to learn as I go along.

I am interested to know what your considerations are if you think about making a move. Are they any different from mine?

I will do my best to track this journey and to note the budget considerations as I go along.

What things do you consider before moving?

Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

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Update on My New Years Resolution

March 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Rarely do my New Years Resolutions make it past the end of January but I am proud to say I have stuck with this one and made quite a bit of progress. You can read my original post here: My New Years Resolution.

Image on Pixabay

I started out the year at 220 and wanted to start eating better and exercising. In the two months I have been doing this, I have only had 2 or 3 days where I have “cheated” and gone over my daily calorie goal. I haven’t missed a day of exercise and the results are starting to show. I am now down to 208! I have lost 12 pounds so far and am approaching the half way mark of my goal (190 pounds). Big pat on the back to me, Yay!

How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions?

Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

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Throw a Party – Help a Friend – Get Free Stuff

March 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Have you been wanting some new decor for your home? Is your candle supply running a little low? Need a new kitchen gadget or recipe ideas? Would you like to update your cosmetics, or get some new clothes? Of course! Who doesn’t — right? Well, if you are low on extra money; I have a great way to make you feel like you splurged, without spending too much.

Most of us have heard of Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Home Interiors, Party Lite, etc. Maybe you have a friend or two that earns extra money, or has built a successful business through one of these direct sales companies. You can support her – and earn yourself some goodies in the process – by hosting a party. There is a direct sales company for just about everything!

Before we begin, I think it’s important for me to mention that I am not affiliated with these companies in any way, other than I have attended and/or had parties for one of their consultants. When I realized that I would be an at-home Mom I tried my hand at a couple direct sales businesses but it just wasn’t my thing.

Is direct sales for you?

First of all, I was my own best customer (a very bad thing if you want to make any money at all) and secondly, while I love attending these parties — but I didn’t really want to be the one running the show. I do however, know many people who are in direct sales and are absolutely fabulous at it.

Now, what was I talking about before I got all side tracked? Oh yes of course… FREE STUFF!

As I was saying, many of these companies offer their hostesses fantastic rewards for hosting a party. Sometimes free stuff, discounted items, hostess only specials and more.

So how do you host a direct sales party anyhow?

The first thing you need to do, is to decide which company you want to party with — and there are many to choose from. Next, you will want to find a consultant, if of course you don’t already know one. You can also book your own party during shows that you attend — which helps the host, the consultant and you.

Once you decide what type of party you would like to have – and you have booked a party – you need to start getting the word out to all your friends and family about the event.

Get the word out

Social media is such a wonderful tool for this. You can tweet about it, create an event on facebook to invite some – or all – of your Facebook friends, and of course mention it in your status updates. You can also send e-mails to people and of course, there’s always the good old postal service. Remember, the more people you tell about your party, the more successful it will be, and the more free and discounted stuff you will get!

Most companies even have the ability for people to participate in your party online and don’t forget about the catalogs! Carry around current catalogs and order forms wherever you go. You might get a few orders this way as well. Make sure you are aware of any specials for the month, so you can pass this information on. Don’t forget to send out reminders a day or two before the party!

The day of event make some treats for your guests. You don’t have to spend a lot, to let people know you appreciate their participation. Most consultants will also have drawings and giveaways for your guests as well.

I actually just had a party on Saturday for one of my friends who just became a Thirty-One consultant. She gave me a fabulous lunch tote (pictured above), just for hosting. Plus, I was able to order two items that I really wanted — for half the retail price. I also had a lot of fun, with some of my favorite ladies!

Have you hosted a successful direct sales event? What did you do to get the word out? What is you all time favorite direct sales company and what is your favorite item?

Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

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The Farmer and His Sons; an Aesop’s Fable

March 1, 2011 | Leave a Comment

A Farmer who was close to death wanted to share his knowledge with his sons on the best way to keep up the farm. He called them to his bedside and said, “My children, all that I have to leave you can be found in the vineyards.” The sons, thinking their father was referring to a hidden treasure, set to work with their spades and ploughs and overturned the soil again and again. They found no treasure, but the vines, strengthened by the thorough tillage, repaid their labor with an extraordinarily abundant crop.

Industry in itself is a treasure.