Feverific

My little one is sick again; this time it seems to be a simple fever. She could have gotten this from anywhere – daycare, grocery store, church, play groups – but I’m pretty confident that it is not related to teething since she hasn’t had a fever with any of her other teeth coming in.

How can I prevent these from happening so much? I have missed at least one day of work for the past three weeks and it’s starting to stress me out. I thought we kept things pretty clean & healthy around here; we wash our hands, try to monitor what she puts in her mouth, take our vitamins, etc.

What tricks, secrets or tips do you know of that keep your kids healthy and fever-free? (Or are all of these illness part of growing up and I just need to deal with it?)

Time Out!

Like many, I do time-out instead of spanking with my 3 1/2 year old stubborn, independent, very sassy daughter. I have designated a "special" corner for my Sassy One, but here's the thing: she won't stay in that corner. I've tried a number of things to try to get her to stay in time-out including standing by her (which only makes it worse, mind you), threatening her (sounds harsh, but it's true), and even holding her there. These tactics only result in an even more out-of-control Sassy One and a very, very tired mom. Yes, sometimes she will stay. But only sometimes.

How do I get her to make the choice to stay in time-out most of the time? I want HER to make the choice herself and reap those benefits of doing so; then realize the pattern: that good choices (i.e. choosing staying in time out) make for good consequences (i.e. time-out for only 3 minutes as opposed to 7 minutes of kicking and screaming!)

What works for you?

Sincerely,
Very tired of time-out mom

Summer Fun

It's summertime which means fun, right? I'm not so sure. Now that it's hot out, I want to get little B out to play, but I don't really know what to do. She get's super bored inside all day and needs ways to burn off some energy, but the heat can make it difficult to stay outside too long. Plus, I'm no good at coming up with fun activities for a 19-month old. So today's questions are:

~What do you do with your child(ren) for fun?
~How do you keep toddlers entertained?
~What outdoor activities are you willing to brave with kids?
~How do you get your child to come inside and settle down after being outside?
~What acitivies can kids do that are also fun for mom?