LilSugar

Tell Mommy: What Do Your Kids Always Misplace?

LilSugar — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:00:56 -0700

No matter how organized I am when we're headed out the door, my husband, or children are usually missing something. Whether it's a misplaced key, wallet, backpack, permission slip, toy, hair tie, or pair of socks - items, small and large, seem to disappear into thin air in our flat. Usually, they are uncovered in a matter of minutes or months. But, I can almost always guess what's been lost. For my daughter, it's her toothbrush and with my son, it's a shoe. If time allots, we turn the place upside down, if it doesn't we table the search party for a more convenient time. Does this happen to you?

Have You Experienced Lost & Found With Your Lil One?

LilSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:00:17 -0700

Kids are magicians at making themselves disappear - they climb into clothing racks at the mall, wander off at the park or can be hard to see in crowds of big people.

So most moms have had at least one of those moments when your heart drops to the pit of your stomach and for one terrifying instant you think your child is lost.

It's enough to drain the blood from your veins and knock your knees out from under you. Has it happened to you?
Source

Wee Are the World: The Tooth Fairy Project

LilSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Though you may have scrounged the Internet to find the perfect pillow, box or envelope for storing lost teeth, once the tooth fairy leaves her present, those teeth usually sit untouched hidden in a drawer. The lost tooth process can take on a whole new meaning if used to introduce lil ones to The Tooth Fairy Project. Created by the Radiation and Public Health Project (a watchdog group), The Tooth Fairy Project, studies levels of radiation found in baby teeth to determine where the highest levels of strontium-90 are located in America. Strontium-90 deposits itself in teeth and bones, just like calcium, so studying baby teeth allows researchers to see where the radiation is being released. The project hopes to identify whether radioactive material is being released by nuclear power plants, the effect of the Chernobyl disaster in America and if radiation levels have increased over the years. Participation in the project is simple – just fill out a form detailing where you live, when your tot was born and where you lived when pregnant, and send it in with the tooth. The group hopes to collect 10,000 teeth, and is about halfway there.

Source

Do You Keep Your Kids in Sight While at the Park?

LilSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:00:13 -0800

My jaw dropped the other day when I heard one mother tell another that she lost track of the woman's son (a kindergartner) earlier in the day (while he was in her care) at the packed park. She found him after a few minutes, but then the two laughed about it as they ate lunch while their tots played clear across the park and out of sight.
Do you keep your eyes on your kids at all times in crowded places?

Source

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl: Interview with Chris O'Donnell

LilSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:00:25 -0700

He caught our eye as Charlie Simms, the kind hearted collegian, playing opposite Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman and young ladies swooned when he broke up a Circle of Friends as Jack Foley. Chris O'Donnell is the quintessential American male with conventional good looks, smarts and the friendly disposition of the boy, now man, next door. He's the kind of guy that men and mothers like. And, he's the only actor that made us believe that Meredith might pass up McDreamy.

The real life father of five - Lily, 8, Chip, 7, Charlie, 4, Finley, 2 and Maeve, 6 months - who is married to wife, Caroline, is spending the summer on the silver screen as Mr. Kittredge in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl starring Abigail Breslin. The scenes between the dapper dad and his precocious daughter who face hardship during the Great Depression leave a lump in your throat. We recently had a chance to chat with the actor about his latest film.

There are two moments in the film, when Kit spots her dad in the soup kitchen and the ensuing conversation they have by the tree-house, that have an incredible impact on the audience. It's that notion of a parent not being able to provide for his children. How did you prepare for the scene?

I've got kids of my own; We all love our parents and we love our spouses, but until you have your own kid you don't really know what that kind of love is. It's where you would put yourself in front of a moving train for your kid and I think that you understand what that must have felt like. Mr. Kittredge's trying to protect his daughter as most parents do and not have her worry about the hardships of what was going on in their time. And when she sees him in the soup kitchen, he's forced to tell her a little bit more about what the realities are and what they are going to have to do. He tries to put the best spin on it or prepare her for it by telling her that story about his car - don't let it beat ya, and as parents that's about all you can do. It's a situation where he has to go off to find work.

To see the actor's fears as a father, read more.

In that same vein, as the father of five who found early success much like Mr. Kittredge, is being able to provide for your children a legitimate fear of yours, or do you have others?

What's tough for me is when I'm away on location because in my business it's feast or famine when it comes to spending time with my kids. I either have more time than I know what to do with or I don't have any time with them, so I try to maximize my time when I'm with them. But when I'm away on location, thank God for Apple iChat because I can see them on the computer. It's scary - part of being a parent is trying to teach the kids the lessons they need to learn. And sometimes, the kid comes home and asks you a question and you're kind of stalling thinking what's the answer that I am supposed to give here. I'll be calling my older brothers or sisters and asking what do we tell them about this again? Because you realize they are coming to you for all this information and most of it is instinctual, but every once in a while they'll come up with something and you'll think that's a tricky one. You know, let me get back to you on that one.

It's been said that you did Batman for your sons and this movie for your daughters? Is Lily a fan of the American Girl series?

She is a fan and I knew about it because I'm from Chicago and I had visited the store before with my nieces and now with my daughter and we've got a lot of the dolls and that sort of thing. I was highly aware of the whole American Girl phenomenon and I think that for people that do know about the dolls they are going to be so excited about the movie. And, for everyone else that wants to take their kids to a movie on the weekend, they are going to be really pleased because there's so many times that kids want to go to a movie and I can't tell you how many bad family movies I've sat through. This one really works; It's a great ride. It teaches kids a great lesson and they don't even realize they are being taught a lesson. When I left the theater with my daughter, she started asking me all about the people who lost their houses and it was great to have brought that subject up especially now - it's going to be so timely.

Do you think there's a difference between the way kids are said to grow up fast today versus the way they did during The Great Depression?

We've had an incredibly successful run in the economy for the last however many years. I mean obviously it's stalled and heading in a recession now. Then, the economy starts to get tough and that trickles down and you kind of get back to basics. Certainly anyone who lives through a depression and my father did, they don't forget the lessons they learned the same way that the men and women that fought in WWII don't. People don't always have an appreciation of what happened unless they were there and I think that's what's so great about films and books. If you saw Band of Brothers you have such an appreciation for what these guys went though in that generation. And not to compare this to Band of Brothers, but I think it's a great way for kids to get some understanding of what the depression was about, what people went through in a way that they will be excited to see and learn about it.

You've gone from being the naive character in Scent of a Woman to the father in American Girl. Is that transition hard to take or a natural transition?

It felt like the role was easy for me to relate to because I've got an 8-year-old daughter and the emotions that Mr. Kittredge is feeling for his daughter - I just understood and connected with that. But it was the first time I played a parent and I've been doing this for a long time and you start to play different roles. I'm not the kid anymore and I'm a dad so it's just kind of a natural evolution.

The Kittredges lived by the motto, "Don't let it beat you." Do the O'Donnells have a motto?

I don't know that we have a motto. That's a pretty good one right there.

So you'll adapt that one?

We might have to.

We're celebrating Kit Kittredge: An American Girl with a special giveaway next week. Stay tuned for more details.

Source and Cylla von Tiedemann

Forgotten Toddler Left at Airport by Family

LilSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:57 -0700

A 23-month-old earned his wings without ever leaving the ground. The child was accidentally left behind while dashing for a flight with his parents and grandparents. All of the adults assumed he was with another member of the group.

Security found the babe wandering between the airport's check point and the boarding gates. The boy did not speak English and was going to travel as a lap child so he was not registered in any system. Since his parents did not realize he was missing, it took a while for personnel to track down the youngster's guardians. To see what happened, read more.

According to CNN report:

The parents were put into telephone contact with the little boy, and Parreno was put on another Air Canada plane to return to Vancouver to get him after the family's flight arrived in Winnipeg, with the airline covering the cost of the two additional flights, she said.

A Tagalog-speaking agent took the boy as his charge until he was reunited with his father. I can't imagine the panic the parents must have felt.

Have you ever lost your child?
Source

Would You Freeze Your Dying Husband's Sperm to Use Later?

babysugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:53:56 -0700

Lisa Roberts, a 34–year–old British woman, lost her husband, James a few years ago to a devastating bone cancer.

Already a mother to seven–year–old son Cameron, the couple chose to freeze James' sperm before he started his cancer treatments.

Hoping he would fight off the illness, they were prepared to use the frozen sperm for future fertilization to grow their family. Sadly, things didn't turn out that way and the father died.

As he laid in hospice during his last days, he asked his wife if she would ever use the sperm, to which she replied, "Definitely." Taking a couple of years to grieve and pick up the pieces, Lisa couldn't fathom pregnancy again without her spouse. But as she pulled her life back together, she knew it was time to welcome James's second child into the world.

After calling various IVF units, Lisa found one that would help her fulfill her wish. Pregnant on the first try, the mum was thrilled and excited to welcome a baby girl into her life with James watching from above. As fate would have it, she swears Jaimie–Rose (named after her father) looks like him, too.

If you knew your spouse was going to die, would you freeze his sperm for future use?
Source

Lil Find: Temporary Tattoos

LilSugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:35:59 -0800

Tots love realistic looking temporary tats, but these skin stickers are more than art. Tattoos with a Purpose started the line of arm appliques for parents to adhere to their children's limbs before field trips, vacations, and outings in crowded areas.

For young ones who have yet to memorize their phone numbers, adults can scribble them or the name of the child's school on the tattoos and the kids are good to go. If children get lost, the information will help them reconnect with their groups. Special stickers are also available for children with peanut allergies, autism and the hearing impaired.

The stickers and marking can last up to between three and five days if treated properly and it is advised to apply the sticker to a place that the wearer is aware of, but not the general public - under an arm sleeve, etc..

The $10 kit contains six lost and found stickers, a purpose marker, six moist towelettes for applying and six alcohol wipes for removing, not to mention it buys a piece of mind.

Folic Acid May Not Be Just for Mama

babysugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0700

We've told you about the benefits of folic acid for expectant mothers, but now a new study reports that it may also have an effect on the opposite sex. It said:

Researchers have found an association between a vitamin and levels of chromosomal abnormalities in men's sperm. Men who consumed high levels of folate (a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food) and folic acid (the synthetic form of the vitamin) tended to have lower levels of abnormal sperm where a chromosome had been lost or gained (known as aneuploidy).

To find out what men should do, read more. As only one study has been published on the subject, no recommendations have been made for men to increase their folic acid intake. But, men hoping to enter fatherhood may want to make like Popeye and pump up on spinach or start taking multi–purpose vitamins.
Source

Delilicious: Solids Made Easy

babysugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:00:32 -0800

When it's time for your babe to start eating solid foods, it's time for mama's minor heart palpitations. While chewing and swallowing are second nature to you and me, it's something that every child has to learn. And part of the learning process can include gagging and choking scares.

When my wee one started eating solids, I was terrified. But one thing I found that helped her and gave me a lil piece of mind, was using the Baby Safe Feeder ($6). It was created by a father who almost lost his nine–month–old son to choking.

The nifty gadget allows you to put chewable foods like bananas and avocados into a mesh net, which has a tight screw on lid. Pass it on to baby and let her squeeze out the nutrients in safe portions. It can be messy, but your tot will find a sense of pride in feeding herself.