Stolen Moments

So week two of school-for-MaM-no-school-for-me has come to a close. Jr and are getting into a good routine, and I will be the first to admit: I LOVE IT. It’s by far the very best part of our most recent life changes.

I’ve conferred with my friends who all have or have had children in school and just one young one at home, and it’s official: having your child load reduced for a few hours each day, it’s like a vacation. Not the fruity-drinks-on-the-Lido-deck kind, but more like a nice hike in a State Park kind. You’re still going to break a sweat, you’re still going to work a bit, but it sure as heck isn’t like having all (or you know, both) your children around all the live long day.

So what have we been doing?

We’ve been going to library story hour.

We’ve been meeting friends for coffee and lunch.

We’ve been hosting friends.

We’ve been playing a bizarre version of tennis where we use a tennis raquet like a hockey puck and hit a wiffle ball down the driveway.

We’ve been grocery shopping.

We’ve been watching Sesame Street every day at 10:30, and Word World every day at 11:30.

We do some secret things we don’t talk about with MaM , like steal away to the Children’s Museum with friends who are visiting for the day!

He’d like to start motorcycle riding lessons next week, but I think we’ll be holding off at least for a few more months…..

Want to learn more about the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis? See my post at the SavvySource City Guide!

Works for Me Wednesday: Getting Kids to Take Medicine

Actually, in the medicine department, we are really lucky. Both kids are always super excited to be medicated. I say “time for vitamins” and they both start running and clapping and acting like I just said, “Here comes the ice cream truck!”

Taking Liquid Medicine

If you don’t have a lot of experience in this department, let me introduce you to the must have syringe:

A bulb syringe will make you crazy (I found them hard to measure exact doses), but this one? This one you just pull up as needed. By using a syringe, you don’t spill any liquid if your child turns his head, locks his jaw, turns up his tongue, etc. Meijer gives them out with every prescription.

Taking Capsules

My kids are both on an acid-reflux medication–MaM takes it once a day, Jr. takes it 2x per day. It’s available in a kid-friendly sol-u-tab (dissolves in your mouth), and we are so fortunate that it’s covered under our insurance plan. This year, however, the terms of our plan changed a bit, and we are looking into ways to cut the amount of money we spend on this drug (we use three doses a day).

Capsules are available, but MaM can’t swallow them yet.

Enter: the friendly pill cutter

I discovered I can slice open the capsule, pour the granules on a spoon (put something under the spoon in case it spills) and then top the spoon with a dollop of yogurt.  They lick the spoon clean, and the medicine is ingested! Phew!

What works for you when dosing up your kiddos?

Have an idea that others might find useful? Link up at We Are That Family!

What’s the tooth fairy’s going rate these days???

MaM has been anticipating turning five with as much gusto as anyone I ever met (remember, I teach 3-6 yr olds), and she FINALLY has a developmental milestone that proves she is so close to five she can almost taste it.

For months, she’s been talking about “wiggly teeth”. Months. Last time we were at the dentist, MaM had her double check to make sure the doc hadn’t missed a wiggly one.

This morning she told me she had a wiggly tooth, and I merely “yessed” her. I was probably changing a diaper or pouring coffee or something when she told me.

Tonight at dinner, after she cried because her hard bread was too hard for her wiggly tooth, I inspected.

MaM has her first loose tooth!!!

I’ll be honest it took me by surprise, and it kind of took my breath away. I mean really, didn’t she just get these teeth? Didn’t we ache and moan for months to get these teeth? Four short years later, and she’s on to the next best thing.

I immediately thought of my favorite tooth-related book as a kid– Molly and the Slow Teeth. She, apparently, will be NO Molly!

Do you have a fav book about the topic of tooth-losing? It is SUCH a big deal in grades K-2 or so. Inquiring minds want to know!