Between work and having kids, I don’t get a lot of time to sit down and play video games.  In most cases, my son wants to play with me too, but most of the games I have are just not appropriate for his five year old mind.

But when I saw Lego Star Wars 2 at the store, I knew that it would be a perfect game for us to play.  You see, according to the reviews that I had read, I knew that it would be perfect for his five year old mind.

What I didn’t take into account was that it was harder than I thought.  Part of it was due to the reaction time of my son (being five, he wasn’t the most coordinated player), and we got stuck on a couple of missions.

So, we used some Lego Star Wars 2 cheats that we found online to make the game a little easier.  We had a great time and I think that we will make it a regular father and son time.

With the birth of our third child, I knew we had it made.  Our first you were a boy and a girl, so we had all the clothes we were going to need, as well as all the baby gear required to properly equip us for a baby.

When friends and family members came to visit us, inquiring about what we needed for baby gifts, it was difficult for us to come up with ideas about what might be useful.  We wrecked our brains and couldn’t come up with anything.

In the end, the ideas that they came up with were amazing.  We were given lots of meals, as well as certificates for babysitting.  We also ended up with as many diapers as we were ever going to need for our new little bundle of joy.

The best one was the one that both of our families pitched in for.  We got a new backyard play structure that all of the kids could eventually enjoy.

I did not know what I was going to do when I found out that my ex-husband had been killed in a workplace accident. I counted on him for child support money and I knew that I was not going to be able to make ends meet without it. We could survive on what I would make, but I knew that I would never be able to send the kids to college, which is something I had always promised that they would never have to worry about.

A few months after the funeral, I got a call from his lawyer. Apparently he had started a child trust fund for each one of our children and had never told me about it. There was more than enough money put away for each one of them to put them through four or more years of college. It was such a burden that was taken off my shoulders.

In that instance, I had more respect for him than I ever had while he was a live. I am so grateful for doing this for the kids and am so glad that I no longer have to worry about their futures. He really was a wonderful dad and I will never again say that he always put himself before his children.

My sister and I are both due to have babies at around the same time. This is very exciting for us, as we are very close. She has a little girl right now and I have a little boy, so we are excited to see what we will have this time. We both opted against finding out the sex of the baby, as we both prefer the element of surprise at delivery.

We are also both kind of hoping that we don’t have the same sex baby, as then one of us would end up having to buy baby clothes. As it is right now, if she has a boy and I have a girl than we can just trade the clothes from last time. I am kind of hoping that this is the way it works out.

In the end, clothes are a very minor thing and we both know that as long as we have healthy babies, we will be perfectly happy. I certainly wouldn’t mind having another little boy. After all, the one I have is the cutest one that I have ever seen and he is very well behaved. Another one like him would be just fine.

One of my favorite things to do is to sew doll clothes for my daughters. By doing this, we can keep their Barbie dolls dressed in the latest fashions, without having to spend a fortune. I find it kind of funny that it can cost ten dollars to buy a Barbie outfit that I can sew for fifty cents.

My daughters are both really into hip hop right now, so I sewed them a bunch of hip hop clothes for their Barbies for Christmas. They were ecstatic to find them and even more ecstatic when they found matching outfits for themselves under the tree. I had made their day and for a mere thirty dollars, my daughters each had a new outfit and their dolls had ten.

For the next few months, those dolls became hip hop models. I think the rest of their doll clothes were feeling quite neglected. I wonder what the next fad will be that the girls are into. It would be nice to know so I could get busy sewing the clothes for next Christmas.

After having our last baby, Alexandra, we received a number of gifts.  We received a lot of the common stuff like diapers, sleepers and a blanket or two.  You smile and nod because you are thankful for the gifts, but in reality, these types of gifts are really not that exciting.  Now, I am not trying to be thankless, but sometimes you just want something a little more exciting.

A friend of mine took some photos of our baby at the baby shower and contacted us a few days later.  She said that she had her present for us and that we should come check it out.

Packing everyone into the car, we went over to her house to see what Alexandra’s present would be.  What we saw was the exciting gift that I had been waiting for!  You see, she put the photos onto canvas which turned the prints into exciting pieces of art.  It captured one of the early moments of her life and it is something that we can keep forever.

It was definitely one of the most unique baby gifts we have ever received.

I must say that I was quite disappointed when I went to the store the other day to pick out Halloween costumes for my two children. It seemed as if the costumes were falling apart right there on the hangers. The quality was so poor that I was sure the costumes would not last through an evening of trick-or-treating.

Another disappointment was that they all seemed to be the same. There was very little variety. It was either a pirate or a princess or some type of animal. What happened to the creativity? I knew that I could do better than this, and thus, I left the store empty handed.

I logged on to the Internet to see what I could come up with for Halloween costume ideas. I was pleasantly surprised to find some creative ones that would not take a whole lot of time to make. I asked my kids to look at them and decide what they liked. They each picked one and I put them together. And, believe it or not, the costumes were still intact at the end of the night.

In a few short weeks we are expecting a new baby.  There has been a lot of hustle and bustle around our house in expectation of our new child.  Sure it isn’t our first one, but an addition to our household is always an exciting thing.

I have been reading parenting magazines for awhile now to keep abreast of current trends in parenting.  An article I read recently scared me a little when it talked about baby bedding and clothing.  You see, the article talked about all the chemicals and heavy metals store bought baby clothes come in contact with and how they could have an adverse effect on a child’s health.

But there was a way to avoid the hazards of mass produced clothing.  You see, there are many companies that provide organic baby clothing and organic baby bedding at a reasonable price.  These clothes have not come in contact with hazardous materials and are free from dyes.

Another benefit to organic baby clothes is that children with allergies seem to do better in them.  Less rashes, and less allergic reactions are never a bad thing.

With what I have learned, my choice is clear - I must get organic clothing for my new baby.  As a parent, I want to give my children as many opportunities as possible - and picking health clothing and bedding is a good start.

My fourteen year old son, Josh, wears Invisalign braces.  They are clear retainers that are removed when eating and does the same job as traditional braces.  He has been wearing them for two years, and they look phenomenal.

These braces cost much more than ordinary braces, but, in my opinion, are well worth the price I’ve paid.  Luckily for us, Josh doesn’t have an overbite or underbite, because the invisible braces just wouldn’t correct that.

For the first while, Josh never told anyone that he even wore braces, but as time marched on and his friends started getting braces, Josh would suggest the invisible ones.  We worried for his self-esteem, but he is growing into a very confident and self-assured young man.

I have decided to try teaching my nieces through a different medium.  You see, I watch them twice a week and I am getting tired of reading to them.  I spend a lot of time on the phone, so my voice is weak, and the reading is just making it worse.

So I have been looking for other ways for them to learn while they are at my home.  Television is not an option, since they watch way too much at home.  But one thing they do not get to do is use the computer - something that I am going to get them to try.

So, I have found them some fun games to play online.  What I have tried to do is find fun action games and fun puzzle games that are fun and educational.  Thankfully, there are quite a few sites out there that offer both types of games,  so I have written a few of them down.

I am going to try out the games for a few weeks and see if I notice any difference.  If it works we will continue, if not I will have to figure something else out.  I could always get some activity books for the to do as well…