Baileys Eggnog

‘Tis the season to be jolly! But sometimes jolly needs a helping hand. That’s where Bailey comes in.

And he always brings his Irish Cream.

‘Tis also the season of sweet Christmas treats like Eggnog and shortbread cookies.

Which makes me and an esteemed drinking buddy of mine think, “With all the other flavours that our dear friend Bailey has come up with, why not a festive eggnog flavour?”

On spoiling

If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them and half as much money.

I can’t remember who told me this, but it makes so much sense.

And so does the list below that I found on GoodEnoughMother.com. (The points in bold are from Good Enough Mother. She elaborates on her list on her site. I have chosen to make my own comments about each point below.)

1. STOP HOVERING – they will figure it out on their own…eventually.
   
2. DON’T GIVE THEM EVERYTHING – they’ll never learn the value of anything.
3. MAKE SURE YOUR KIDS KNOW THEY ARE NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE – if you don’t teach them this, someone else will.
4. TEACH THEM LIFE IS NOT LINEAR – sometimes you have to go backward to go forward.
5. LET THEM FAIL – it teaches them how to succeed.

And a little visual reminder…a cartoon that I quite like for its brutal honesty.

Practice what you preach

I’m not one to follow celebrity stories (although I admit that there are times when I’m looking to “relax” my brain from the daily rush, and reading a bit of fluff helps me unwind. (Kind of like in the old days when I would pick up a Harlequin Romance novel in between reading more intensive literature.)

Today, over on People–Celebrity Babies, I read Kimberly Van Der Beek’s Spiritual Family Tips. (She’s married to James Van Der Beek of Dawson’s Creek fame.)

A trip to the dentist

The title of this post may lead you to believe that I recently accomplished another mundane parenting task. I took my daughter to the dentist.

Then enters a calm

Lately I’ve been feeling calmer. So have my kids. I don’t know what has come over me. I’ve read two parenting books, both fairly different in their philosophies.

But both books spoke to me and centered me. I am, rather suddenly, a more confident parent.

My Nasty Voice Has to Go

I have been so stressed and busy for the last … oh, I don’t know 10-15 years, that I have developed, without really realizing it, a voice that I use automatically when someone asks me something.

Rough morning exit

I got home very late. It was the company Christmas party. I was out enjoying myself with my colleagues while my husband enjoyed some time alone with the children.

Mom with a chart

I’ve done it. I’m a mom with a chart. I said this wouldn’t happen to me. I thought using a reward system in the form of a chart posted on the wall was silly. But of late, my almost-4-year old daughter has been having 2-year-old tantrums.

I don’t get it. She has a full, vibrant vocabulary, which she acquired and has been polishing and perfecting since shortly before her second birthday. She doesn’t need to kick and scream to display her displeasure. And yet, she does.