Tuesday Tip

I love the Magic Eraser! I use it to clean everything! However, there are some things it is not good for cleaning! The commercial says it will even take marker off the wall. Well, that is sort of true. It will take the marker off, but it may also take your paint! If you have a water-based paint, it's going to come off. I wiped down our walls and now notice that they need to be repainted. We have beige colored walls. I don't know if it would be as noticeable if they were white. One other thing we learned the Magic Eraser is NOT for is children! Chloe had taken a Sharpie and colored on herself. Even a bath & soap couldn't get everything off her. So, I thought, "If a Magic Eraser can get marker off a wall, why not a child?" Well, it did take the marker off her, but not without leaving its mark. There is something in the Eraser that irritated Chloe's skin and she was a reddish-pink for days! I absolutely love the Eraser and use it for other things than my children :) It is great for getting juice stains off counters, cleaning the bathtub & bathroom, everyday cleaning.

Tuesday Tip (on a Friday!)

So as I was reading a friends blog, I was reminded of a great book all new parents should read. It's called Baby Wise. It has excellent advise on feeding, scheduling and sleep patterns. It was a lifesaver for us with Chloe. At first I felt bad because we couldn't stick to it 100% but we adapted it to our lifestyle. With our church schedule, we had to make modifications. But if you stay at home or have someone watching your little one, I would recommend using as much of the techniques as possible. I admit that it's not always easy but once you get past the rough spots, it is so worth it! If you're like me, the thought of "scheduling" your baby's day makes you want to pull your hair out. But really, it's about a routine that your baby learns and comes to expect each day. Babies can learn to expect naps- not just fall asleep at random times. It also really helps with their behavior as they get a little older. There is great advise on using pacifiers, swings, rocking to sleep, etc. We were pretty strict on not letting Chloe use pacifiers or falling asleep in her swing. We very rarely rocked her to sleep. And during the day, I always put her in her crib while she was awake. Will I do things differently with Logan? Probably not. The only thing I may change is rocking him to sleep at night, but not every night. Even if it messes up his patterns a little, those moments are precious times him.