SharingGiggles

Who said parenting was easy?

Charlotta — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 04:52:18 +0000

Have you ever had one of those days when you ask yourself where things started going so wrong? One day you feel like you are in complete control of your well behaved child and the next day you wonder who raised that screaming kid that is running down the aisle pulling groceries down from the shelves. I used to watch these misbehaving kids on shows like Supernanny and I wondered how the parents could let things get so out of control.

The other day I was at the pharmacy shopping when I suddenly felt like I was on the set of Supernanny. The only problem was that the misbehaving child was mine. Not only did she not listen to me and decided to run away from me three times while I was standing in the checkout line, but after trying to hold her wiggling and screaming body while I waited in line she decided to bite me. Ouch! The first thought that came to my mind was; how did I fail so miserably at raising my daughter?

When I came home I did some research on why kids bite and it turns out that it’s not as uncommon as I thought. That made me feel a little bit better. I also started thinking about under what circumstances she typically starts misbehaving and soon noticed a pattern. I guess I sometimes forget or get too busy to see the small signs that would alert me to go home instead of running one more errand with her. After all she’s barely three years old and our hectic lifestyles can probably seem very overwhelming to her.

From the outside it can seem like you have all the right answers to parenting challenges but when you are deep in it every day, it all seems so much harder and you don’t see what you would see if it wasn’t your child because you are so emotionally involved in the situation. I guess no one said parenting was going to be easy and for those rough days that we actually consider submitting our story to Supernanny, we put our kids to bed a little earlier than usual, pour ourselves a glass of wine, throw our feet up on the table and pray for a better day tomorrow…

Growing Up Too Fast

Charlotta — Tue, 29 May 2012 05:10:00 +0000

My daughter is turning three in a few days. I can’t believe how fast this past year has gone by. I feel like she has changed so much, from being this wonderfully stubborn toddler to a little person that you can have conversations with and sometimes even negotiate with. She has moved on from “what is that” questions to more complex questions like “do dogs like coffee?”. I love watching her grow up and change into the sweet little person that she is but at the same time I wish time would pass more slowly so that I had more time to enjoy her different stages in life.

This year for her birthday we decided not to have a party since we’ll be taking her to Disneyland. When asked what she wants for her birthday she has said that she would like balloons, cupcakes and cookies. We’re planning on bringing pizza and cupcakes to daycare for her to share with her friends.

I also made this super cool chocolate monkey cake today that I posted a picture of. It was filled with whipped cream and mashed bananas and topped with white and dark chocolate frosting. Yummy.

I’m so proud of the little person that Sofia has turned into. She is loving, affectionate, caring, gentle, sweet, persistent, cute, silly, funny, stubborn, artistic, musically talented, smart, strong-willed and did I already mention stubborn. I’m looking forward to another awesome year with her. I guess some on the advantages of her growing up are cheaper daycare tuition, saving money on diapers (one day, one day…) and hopefully fewer temper tantrums. On the flip side we now have to start paying for her entrance to the Zoo, Disneyland and other amusement parks.

Happy birthday my sweet baby Sofia! Don’t grow up too fast!

A Different Kind of Mother’s Day

Charlotta — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:51:15 +0000

I guess it was bound to happen. Recently I’ve been bragging about how Sofia hasn’t been sick for so long, in fact she hasn’t been sick once in 2012. On Saturday morning she woke up early and I could tell something was wrong. By noon her temperature had reached 103 F so I gave her some Tylenol. The last 36 hours have been pretty rough; high fever, stomach pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea and a strange rash. Last week some children at her daycare had fifth disease so I thought that might be what she had when the rash appeared this morning. I called the after hours nurses at Kaiser Permanente and they suggested that I schedule an appointment for her. We got her an appointment this afternoon and the doctor diagnosed her with strep throat. It felt like such a relief knowing what was wrong with her and getting her the medication that she needed. This was my third year celebrating Mother’s Day as Sofia’s mama.

The last two years my hubby has taken Sofia out in the backyard and they have picked roses and made me breakfast in bed. This year I was worried sick about my baby and couldn’t care less about flowers. It made me think about the ups and downs of Motherhood. The hardest part of being a mom is probably watching your child not feel well. Every time I looked at my daughter this weekend I wished that I could be the one suffering in her place. I can’t stand feeling so helpless and having to force down medicine into her tiny body. I would do anything to spare her from her symptoms.

I admire the strong mothers that have to see their child suffer from more serious diseases, diseases that can’t be treated with antibiotics and some TLC. I can’t imagine what they must go through; endless heartache and worrying. Even though our downs have different magnitudes, we all feel the same love in our hearts when we look at our children and see them smile. This Mother’s Day has been different for me, it made me realize how lucky I am to have such a healthy daughter.

Sharing Giggles iPhone App [Video]

Charlotta — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:07:08 +0000

Here’s a video that we made to explain our iPhone app.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Our iPhone App is Live!

Charlotta — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:56:34 +0000

We couldn’t be more excited to announce that our iPhone app has been approved and can now be found in the app store! You can still use Sharing Giggles on Facebook, but if you happen to own an iPhone, we just made it even easier for you to record your child’s milestones. With the iPhone app you can now easily create accounts for your children, manage access, post updates or photos from wherever you are, as long as you have your phone. Remember to share the app with your friends and family so that they can follow you child’s growth as well. Oh, and did I mention that the app is FREE

Download Sharing Giggles

Mother’s Day

Charlotta — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:52:32 +0000

Sometimes we get so caught up in the commercialism of Mother’s day that we forget to pause and reflect on what this day really means to us. If it wasn’t for our mothers none of us would be here today. What we need to celebrate is life and the fact that our mothers chose to have us. I’m sure most mothers would appreciate flowers or a box of chocolates for Mother’s Day but the biggest gift of all is time spent with your child, sharing old memories and making new ones.

I feel blessed to still have my mother in my life, even though she lives on another continent and I don’t get to see her as often as I’d like. When we meet we spend a lot of time talking about memories, about when my sister and I were young. Sometimes we cry together and sometimes we laugh, but it’s these moments that I cherish the most. Last time my mother was visiting I asked her a lot of questions about how I was as a toddler. I wanted to find out if my daughter resembles me when I was a kid. Many times she would tell me that she couldn’t remember all the details or when certain milestones took place. I guess the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree because it seems like her memory is just as bad as mine:-)

The best gift you can give your child as they grow up is stories and memories of when they were young. Your Sharing Giggles account will help you keep track of the important moments that later become the most cherished stories that you’ll pass on to your children and grandchildren. Just in time for Mother’s Day we will be launching our Sharing Giggles iPhone app. Whether you’re looking for a gift for your mother, or you are a mother with young children, I encourage you to download the iPhone app or start using the Facebook app while your memories are still fresh in your mind.

The picture on top is of my amazing and beautiful mother! Happy Mother’s Day to my mama and all the fabulous mothers out there!

Potty Training Fun

Charlotta — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:02:13 +0000

One and a half years ago we bought Sofia her first little potty chair. The very next day she went number two on the potty and when she realized what she had done she looked terrified. Our crazy dancing and cheering didn’t make her any more convinced that using the potty was a good thing. For the next year and a half, the potty was mostly used as storage for her crayons and for her stuffed animals to use when they needed to pee pee. On occasion she would sit down on the potty and read a book.

This past weekend we decided that it was time to uncover the potty from its layers of dust. We had tried potty books, potty songs, pull ups, attachable seats, big girl underwear of her choosing, bribing with stickers, but nothing seemed to convince her to use the potty. We finally decided to try cold turkey and explained to her that she could wear her big girl underwear if she used the big girl potty. The first time she had an accident she looked down and asked in a surprising voice: “Mama, what happened?”. The second time she informed me that she needed a diaper about two seconds before the accident happened. The third time she looked at the puddle on the floor and said:” Mama, I made a mess. Can you clean the mess?”. I was almost about to give up when she suddenly seemed to get it, she started peeing on the potty!

Only time will tell how long of a project this will be. Since she goes to daycare during the weekdays it makes the transition a bit more challenging. We might have to use pull ups at daycare until she uses the potty consistently but the minute we get home the big girl underwear will come on. I will keep you updated on our progress:-)

Apps, iPhones and More

Charlotta — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:34:29 +0000

Sometimes I wonder what I spent my spare time doing before I had my iPhone or my iPad. I have pretty much given up on watching TV and spend the majority of my free time (the little I have) either browsing the web or using one of the many apps installed on my phone. Some time ago I realized what a life saver my iPhone can be in situations where my toddler is bored and starting to act up.

One of these instances occurred a few weeks ago when I headed to the airport to pick up family that was visiting us.I knew that the plane had landed by the time I got to the airport so I only grabbed my purse as I headed for the waiting area with my toddler. She was already dressed in her pyjamas as it was just past her bedtime. This was going to be a quick pickup I thought…. Not quite… I turned out that we had to wait for one and a half hours. We probably spent half the time playing with various iPhone apps, the other half was spent chasing an over-tired screaming kid, picking her up from the airport floor where she was making snow angels (yucky) or just trying to hold her and calm her down while she was kicking and screaming. As you can probably imagine I was very happy to have had my phone with me.

When I got home that night I decided that it was time to download some more iPhone apps that are suitable for my toddler so I started searching the web for new apps. I stumbled upon the The iPhone Mom blog, which reviews iPhone apps for moms and kids. This blog was very informational and the author has also ranked the 50 best iPhone and iPad apps for kids here. Some other iPhone app rankings that I found were by Parenting.com (more suitable for older kids) and Parents.com (suitable for babies and toddlers).

Very soon we will also be launching our Sharing Giggles iPhone app that let’s you upload your baby’s milestones, statuses and photos using your iPhone on the fly. We could not be more excited about this launch!

Morning Madness

Charlotta — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:25:38 +0000

I think most working parents can agree that mornings are the most chaotic time of the day, especially when it involves getting your kids out of the house at the crack of dawn. We have okay mornings and we have crazy mornings, but it never feels like we have wonderful weekday mornings. My wonderful weekday morning would involve waking up early to go for a run, reading Sofia a book and having the time to fully listen and respond to her needs, slowly sipping my morning latte and arriving at the office a good half hour before my first meeting. The reality looks very different.

Our crazy mornings are usually triggered by having to wake Sofia up to leave early for a meeting. Early morning meetings should be banned. Waking up knowing that you have to be in the office at a particular hour makes you a little tense to begin with. These are also typically the mornings that your child is glued to you, probably because she can sense the tension. Blow-drying your hair while your hubby is trying to peel your screaming and clinging kid off your hip can definitely be done, but it will slow you down for sure (this was actually a real scene from our bathroom last Friday). Usually we also have to count on at least a couple of tantrums before we are out of the house. The more you hurry, the more likely the tantrums are, so sometimes you just have to take a deep breath and watch the minutes pass by as your child tries to decide on what book to bring to the car or what shoes to wear. Patience is key.

I’ve been thinking about what I can do to turn my weekday mornings into an enjoyable time of the day. I already wake up two hours before I leave the house and I really enjoy sleeping, so waking up earlier will be my last resort when everything else fails. Here are a few of the things that I will try next week:

Picking and ironing my clothes the night before
Packing Sofia’s lunch the night before
Showering and washing my hair the night before

What are some of the things that help you get ready faster in the mornings?

Family Friendly

Charlotta — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 05:47:50 +0000

This past weekend we spent a full day car shopping. Last time we were looking for a new car we had a baby who was happily content just sitting in our laps. This time it was a whole different ball game. The first place we went to we were playing peek-a-boo between the cars and had a hard time actually looking at the car we had come to see. The second place we went to we were smart enough to strap the little one in the stroller and bribe her with snacks, but that only kept her entertained until the snacks ran out. After seeing us struggle for a while the sales guy informed us that there is a pirate ship inside their showroom. Score! What the heck took him so long! The pirate ship was amazing and kept Sofia entertained for a long time.

This experience made me think about how as a parent, you really value businesses that go the extra mile to keep the little ones (and their parents) happy. You start choosing where to shop based on how kid friendly the store is. When we eat out we usually opt for family friendly restaurants with kid’s meals, crayons and a relaxed and fun environment. Of course there are always going to be fancier restaurants that prefer adult guests to toddlers that decorate floors and ceilings with sticky rice and this is totally understandable.

What I’m hoping for is that more business owners would see how small gestures to make the little ones comfortable can have such a big impact on their revenues. I’ve ran out of stores way too many times dropping everything that I was about to buy, just because I’ve ran out of snacks or forgot to bring books. How cool wouldn’t it be if there was a kid’s corner in every store with some pillows, books and toys. Or if you could borrow toys when you are in a store.

I love that my local Ikea store has a playroom (although I haven’t checked it out yet), a play area in the restaurant and that they offer preferred family parking. Some Nordstrom and Babies R Us stores get extra points for offering a private nursing area, such a simple yet fabulous idea! Shopping at Trader Joe’s is like a treasure hunt in our family (they hide a green monkey in the store and if you find the green monkey you get a special treat or stickers at checkout). We need more family friendly stores like the ones mentioned above. Please share below if you know of other family friendly stores that go the extra mile to make your whole family happy.