Guest Blogger | 3 Boys And A Dog

Meet Kallie

April 30, 2012 By KallieG 9 Comments

Hi! My name is Kallie and I am excited to be a contributor to 3 Boys and A Dog. I live in a small town in South Texas. I have been married to my husband, Scout, for five years and we have two daughters. I have been a stay-at-home-mom since our oldest was born.

My husband works in the oilfield. He is gone half of the year for work, but when he’s home he enjoys fishing and spending time with the family.

Pocahontas (also known as Thing 1) is 4 years old. She plays t-ball in the spring and is a cheerleader for the local youth football league in the fall. She also takes gymnastics and enjoys practicing her tricks in my living room. She enjoys learning, catching bigger fish than Daddy and playing with her little sister.

Button (also known as Thing 2) is 3 years old. She is my fighter. She has had many medical problems in her short life, but she doesn’t let it slow her down. She is too young to participate in sporting events in our town, but she enjoys cheering on her sister. Button also takes gymnastics and aspires to be on the gyms competition team. She also wants to play t-ball and cheer when she’s big enough. She enjoys getting into trouble, coloring and playing with her big sister.

I like to craft, scrapbook, and read. I enjoy a wide variety of crafts and often try new things. My favorite author is Nicholas Sparks. I own every one of his books and have read them all several times.

As a family, we enjoy a number of outdoor activities. You can often find us fishing, camping, kayaking or just taking a walk around the ranch. We also enjoy taking the kids on bike rides around town.

You can find out more about me at:

My blog: Life in Texas

Facebook: Life in Texas

Twitter: @KallieGreenly

and Pinterest: KallieGreenly

Filed Under: Guest Blogger Tagged With: contributor, enjoy, exciting, home moms, human interest, husband, kallie, kallie hi, meeting, south texas, town, youth football leagues

Meet Rebecca

April 29, 2012 By RebeccaS Leave a Comment

I am Rebecca, Mother of 3 but loving on plenty more. I live in Western New York on lake Erie. My hubby is pretty special and keeps me on my toes! I am truly blessed to have such a great husband and children, Here is a brief description of the kids.
Tristan: Also known as T.J. Tristan just turned 11 in March, He is passionate about sports, He will play anything and watch any game. Very active and quite handsome if I say so myself.

Trevor: I call him Trev, or occasionally Trevie (I’m not sure if he is a fan of that or not!) Born in October, he will be turning 10 in 2012! Trevor is very smart in a variety of areas. Just loves to learn especially about animals and nature. Pretty much at this point if he tells me a “fact” I take his word for it, Google always verifies what Trev has taught me! Trevor has given us a couple health scares and we continue to deal with them but he truly is a great son.

Tayler: commonly refereed to as “Tater” “Mater” or just plain Tay. Tayler celebrated her 7th birthday the day after Tristan in March. She really doesn’t care what we call her as she is the princess and we all know it! She is spoiled from nearly every person in her life. She was born without her thyroid a condition called “congenital hypothyroidism” . She has been on medication since 9 days old and is thriving! Who says big things dont come in small packages!

I try to keep up with the kids and keep some sort of social life. Even if it is with complete strangers I always enjoy my surroundings!

I would have to say we are very rounded in our parenting views. Works for us so far.

My father is currently 36 hour drive away and that tears me up. Someday I will take my family on a road trip. Hopefully soon!

My mother is right around the corner but she keeps me on my toes!

I look forward to posting and enjoying more time here!

Filed Under: Guest Blogger Tagged With: Here, hubby, lake erie, meeting, pretty, rebecca, trev, trevor, tristan, truly blessed, western new york

Meet Jacqui!

April 27, 2012 By JacquiO 9 Comments

Hi. My name is Jacqui Odell. I live in Western Kansas. The town I live in is basically in the middle of nowhere. The nearest Wal-Mart is 30 miles away. Sounds bad, but you get use to it. I love living in a small town. The community is close and you always have people willing to jump in a give you help when you need it. In May 04 I got married to the most wonderful husband. He works hard so I can stay home with our 3 beautiful children. I do have an Associates Degree in General Studies. Sometime in the future I hope to go back to college and get a degree in Special Education. Right now though, I think I have the best job every and that’s just being a mommy. I love to write and I am very excited in being a part of 3 Boys and a Dog!

Considering my family is a big part of who I am, I thought I would share a little bit about them with you. My husband is an Athletic Directer and Physical Education teacher for the local school. As being a teacher and AD isn’t enough he is also the Football, Basketball, Track, and Weightlifting Coach. He is constantly on the go, but he enjoys it allot. His true passion is Football. He works very hard so I can stay home and take care of our three children.

My oldest is Bryson is 5 years old. Currently he is in Head Start. He is very excited to go to school at Daddy’s school next year. I use to tell him when he turned 5 he would go to Daddy’s school. He turned 5 in January and thought that the next day he would get to go to Daddy’s school. I had to explain to him that he couldn’t go until football started. That should tell you how much this family is into football. He loves to learn and ask ten million questions! If there is a question to be asked he will ask it. He is really getting into learning about space and plants. I think his passion is going to be science and football!

My daughter Zoey is 3 years old. She will start Head Start in August and is very excited to make friends. She is my little dancer. She’s always on the go. This past year was her first year in tumbling and I think that’s the best thing we could have done for her. She loved it.

Last but not least, we have Carly or as I often call her Carly Jo. She is 8 months and is my little ray of sunshine! She can be sick, but will still be all smiles. I remember one time we were at a local store and the cashier and two other works were having a contest who can maker her smile the most. I didn’t have to heart to tell them that all you had to do was look at her and she would smile. She is quick learner and is on the go like her big sister.

Outside of my three children we also have a dog. Sadie girl is a pit bull. I do not have a clue how old she is, because she kind of just walked into our family. She was abandoned by her previous owner. Although I think it’s sad when dogs get abandon I am happy she did, because we wouldn’t have her if it wasn’t for that. She is a very happy dog and would lick you to death.

A little bit more information about me. I love to bake and cook, although I am not the greatest at it. I do enjoy learning and trying to recopies. I HAVE to have the recipe. I am not one of those cooks that can just make their own and go as they go. Two Christmas’s ago my mother in law got me a sewing machine. I would have to say that’s probably one of my favorite gifts ever. I taught myself how to sew and I really do enjoy it. Although I don’t get to it much anymore, but it’s still nice to have it when I have the free time. I LOVE LOVE to take pictures. I wouldn’t say I am a professional, but I have fun doing it and I think that should be the point behind any hobby.

Outside of 3 Boys and a Dog, I do have my own blog. It’s Woman of Many Roles. I started blogging in January 2012. I have alot of fun. Everyday I learn something new about the Blogger World. I look forward to learning and just having some fun here on 3 Boys and a Dog!

Filed Under: Guest Blogger Tagged With: didem, get married, head start, human interest, incuyo, jacqui, love, love live, meeting, odell, special education, start, stay home, wal mart, zoey

Children’s Growing Pains: What Can Parents Do?

April 15, 2012 By Kelli 1 Comment

That kids experience growing pains is no myth. At times of growth (and kids do grow at uneven rates), to feel actual pain in the bones, muscles, and joints is quite common. Its prevalence is difficult to measure, but it is believed that as many as half of all children experience growing pains regularly. As grownups, we may not remember just how uncomfortable these pains can be, but they are significant enough to disrupt sleep, make it hard to focus in school, and cause irritability.

Background

Growing pains can occur at any age, but they most often affect kids during periods of especially rapid growth, which are common between the ages of three and five and again between eight and 12. And of course, during growth spurts that may occur at other ages, growing pains are common.

It is believed that the pain is not actually caused by the growth of bones and muscles, but rather by the extra strain put on them by running and playing at times of rapid growth. In other words, the body is working hard to grow during these times, and combining this with intense physical activity is a recipe for soreness. And very often that soreness does not kick in until the end of the day or, even worse, late at night.

Growing pains usually take the form of soreness centered in the muscles, especially in the legs. Children suffering from these pains usually do not mind being touched and rubbed where the pains are centered. When an area of pain is sensitive to touch, this may mean something more serious is going on. Meanwhile, visible redness or swelling, either in the muscles or the joins, is also unlikely to be growing pains. In this case, see your child’s doctor if it does not go away.

What to do

Growing pains typically go away on their own, especially with a healthy dinner and a good night’s sleep. But because children are often understandably in a hurry to make the soreness go away, there are things parents can do, at least to provide a placebo effect. Try these pain-alleviation methods:

Encourage your child to stretch out the sore muscles very thoroughly.
Give your child a glass of milk, and inform him or her that the milk will make the pain go away. (There is little scientific backing for this, but your child will find it comforting. And, anecdotally, many parents find milk does help alleviate kids’ soreness.)
Gently massage the sore area, or have your child self-massage.
If your child is old enough, provide an over-the-counter pain reliever. For children under twelve, talk to your pediatrician about what painkiller, if any, is best.
Hold a heating pad to the sore area for fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, because growing pains are not serious, many children just want parental reassurance in these moments. Do not dismiss your child’s pains or accuse him or her of faking them. Provide support, and make sure your child knows the pain will pass shortly.

Of course, pain and soreness are often signs of more serious issues than growing pains. If any of the following symptoms occur and last longer than a day, contact your pediatrician.

Pain that hinders movement or causes limping
Pain early in the day, even after the child has had a good night’s sleep
Redness or swelling in the area of the pain
Unexplained rashes
General weakness or fatigue
Strange behavior
Fever

These symptoms are not typically associated with growing pains and may be cause for alarm.

Guest article written by Lisa Pecos who is a wife and well accomplished writer on natural remedies and natural approaches to family health. She’s written numerous articles for Natural Health Journals.com, Parenting Journals.com and Baby Care Journals.com.

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Filed Under: Fitness, Guest Blogger, health Tagged With: Back, Children, delayed onset muscle soreness, grow, growing pains, growth spurt, muscles, pain, Pain Reliever, Parenting, parents, sore muscles, soreness

What to Do When Your Baby Rejects the Bottle

April 10, 2012 By Kelli Leave a Comment

After several months of breastfeeding, many babies are understandably reluctant to change. Breastfeeding is warm and comforting, it brings mother and baby close together, and it comes easily and naturally. So when it comes time to introduce the bottle and your baby does not take to it right away, do not be frustrated. The plastic nipple takes some getting used to, and the temperature of the milk in the bottle can be difficult to regulate. Plus, if you are introducing formula at the same time, this adds another element of difficulty.

If you are considering introducing your baby to the bottle or have already started but cannot seem to make it work, here are some tips to try.

1.Introduce the bottle early. It may be too late for this, depending on your situation. But it is a good idea to introduce the bottle long before the baby will have to get used to using it all or most of the time. Have dad (or someone else) feed the baby with the bottle so there is no confusion, and introduce it for one feeding per day at first. Soon the baby will have the hang of the bottle, but the breast will still be available should problems arise.

2.Get mother out of the room. As already mentioned, it is a good idea to have someone other than the mother be the principal bottle-feeder at first. But going even further than that, it is often best if the mother is not in the room at all. Seeing mom may just make the baby think of the breast, which might make the bottle seem extra unsatisfying.

3.Wait for the baby to be hungry. The baby will be less discriminating about what she drinks when she is more hungry. So when introducing the bottle, wait until a time when the baby is likely to have an empty stomach-for example, after a long nap.

4.Try it when the baby is not so hungry. Of course, every baby is different. Some take the bottle best when they are very hungry, and some will feel betrayed when they are desperate for the breast and receive a bottle instead. So try introducing the bottle halfway through a feeding or when your baby is not fully hungry but still potentially ready to be fed.

5.Do not force it. Instead of sitting the baby on your lap and immediately trying to make him drink, act casual about it. Think of it as just you and the baby hanging out together with the bottle. If he seems curious about the bottle, put it to his lips and see if he tries to take a sip. And if he rejects the bottle, do not force it, as this might just make him extra mad.

6.Try different temperatures. Use a bottle warmer to try to approximate the temperature of mother’s milk. Of course, be careful not to make it too hot. And if that does not work, trying feeding room-temperature milk. Some babies, especially when in the teething stage, actually enjoy cool milk.

7.Start with expressed milk. If you plan to switch to formula, you might want to wait until after making the transition to the bottle. At first, feed the baby only expressed milk. If you do not have enough, mix expressed milk with formula. And remember that mother’s milk changes over the months to accommodate the baby’s needs throughout her development, so fresh milk often tastes best to the baby. There is nothing wrong with older milk that has been frozen, but you might want to save it till after your baby is comfortable with the bottle.

8.Feed when the baby is sleeping. If your baby is waking up from a nap and you know she will be hungry, try slipping a bottle of warmed milk into her mouth as she wakes. This way, she will not have a chance to realize that there is something unusual going on, and once she starts drinking, she may find she likes it quite well.

Guest article provided by Jamell Andrews who is an accomplished writer who believes in the power of homeopathic medicine. She is a regular contributor to the Baby Care Journals.