So I’m sitting here thinking about being a parent. Several things come to mind. What did I need when I was just starting out? What advice could have been given to me to make my journey easier as a parent? Can I still change and make a difference in my parenting skills?
The answers to each of these questions can vary from any easy yes to a daunting full out soapbox preaching explanation. I’m going to do my best to just enlighten.
The things that I could have used as a beginning parent was support from those in my family, to use my “gut” feelings and not just rely on what they used to do when I or their children were little. Things change so much from year to year. You must be willing to explore different ideas and then defend those ideas when you know they are the best for you and your child. Remember what fits one child, doesn’t always fit another. However, something shouldn’t be challenged due to the safety that is important for your child. Car Seat safety and Sleep Safety are a few of the things that once findings come out and change, you should be willing to be change because usually it’s for your child’s well being.
Knowledge of where I could look for information. When my children were little, I didn’t have the internet and its glorious capabilities that we have now. I would have killed for someone I could have talked to about nursing, sleeping, eating, potty problems, and boundary setting. Today, with Facebook, Blogs, and various web pages, we are connected much like the days of the past, with those who can help us get the information about raising children in a time where we are not with our village, the world is becoming our village and the input we can gather is amazing! However, keep in mind; you need to weigh some of your information with common sense and some skepticism, due to a lot of misinformation in the world.
My last question has a simple answer…YES! I can change daily to be a better parent. I can get and give input; I can choose to do things differently if the day before it didn’t work well. You need to remember to try and do your best and someday will go amazingly well, others not so well. We’ve been given a new day to make new changes and grow. As you raise your children, you are also growing yourself. Embrace it as a time for learning, growing, laughter and sometimes tears and failure. These things in the long run will be what matters, not if you got everything right and how perfect your child is. What matters to the child? Having you be an integral part of their life and helping them grow to be all that you can imagine for them.
I am so very pleased by the incredible generosity of so many companies that have donated door prizes, coupons and goodies for our goodie bags for our holiday events. We have two events coming up and asked our manufacturers for door prizes. They have come through well beyond my expectations. I have also received many prizes and coupons from other locally owned businesses!
The week of Monday November 21-Monday November 27 we will have activities for
Black Friday
Small Business Saturday
Cyber Monday
We have chosen some amazing items from the donations for door prizes. Everyone who shops any day that week will get entered into the door prize drawing. Plus we will have 25 goodie bags assembled for the first 25 families to come into the store that weekend. We will also have other sales, coupons, and surprises in store for you. On Monday we will offer some online specials and coupon code just for our online shoppers.
Thursday December 16 we will have an all day holiday Open house. At that event we will also have door prize drawings and 25 more goodie bags. Plus sales and specials!
Below is a list of the many companies who have donated. Please stop by their Facebook pages and thank them!
About 30 door prizes will be drawn for this Monday. The rest will be drawn for at our Holiday Open House.
Items that we received 2 of will have one in each event. Items that say 50 will be in our goodie bags.
5M Creations – Tutu, wings, boa, crown
Anaya Papaya – Snug Around Carrier Cover
Arbonne by Lisa – Hair Product
Avocare by Delia – 50 Sample Bags
Baby Dipper – 2 Baby Dipper Sets
Baby Rescue – 50 Chap Sticks
Baby Sherpa – 2 Safe 2 Go Harnesses
Bamboobies – 2 sets of Nursing Pads
Beach Body Coach by Amy – 50 Samples
Big Kids Production – 2 Potty Training DVD’s
Blueberry Diapers – Buggy Bagg
Boba – Boba 3G Carrier
Bummis – ?
CARES – Child Aviation Restraint
Celebrating Home by Tonya – Bean Pot
Cotton Baby – 50 Detergent Samples
Creative Choyce Photo
Eco Nuts – Laundry Detergent
Ergo – Ergo Baby Carrier
Glow Baby – 2 Baby Journals
Go Mama Go – 2 Set Wonder Bumpers
Gum Drop – Personalized Pacifier Sets
Happy Future – Baby Skin Care
Heininger – 48 Insta Cloths
Hello World – Baby Sleeper
Houdini – 4 Houdini Locks
Inch Bug – 2 Personalized Sippy Name Band Sets
K’Tan – K’Tan Baby Carrier
Kid Basix – 2 Safe Sippy
Kid Escape – Child Safety DVD
Label It Or Lose It – 2 Personalized Name Sticker Sets
Liberte – Liberte Child Harness
Lifeprint Portraits – Portrait Package
Lil Chic Boutique – 50 Baby Hair Bows
Lilly Bit – Diaper Clutch
Loc8tor – Child Loc8tor
Melaluca by Summer – ?
Mia Bella Candles by Susan – ?
Momma Edison – 2 Baby Buckle Pads
Mommy I’m Here – 4 Child Locator Sets
Mommys Helper Inc – 12 Plug Locks
Pea Wee Baby – Swaddle Sets
Planet Wise – Cloth wipes & Bag
Precious Lives – 2 Child Safety Signs
PRK – 2 Baby Food Jar Organizer
Rockin Green – 2 Bags Laundry Detergent
Scentsy – Warmer
Sign Lang in Play – ?
Skip Hop – Diaper Bag
Smart Mama Jewelry – Jewelry Package
Snuza – Child Safety Monitor
Sticky J Jewelry – Personalized Medical Alert Bracelet
STRUCTUREbags – Bag
Take Out Time Out – 2 Portable Parenting Packs
Thirsties – Cloth Diaper Pack
TV Guard – 24 Safe & Shut Latches
Victoria Chart Company – 2 Child Chore Charts
Vive Vita – 50 Toothbrush Labels
At My Precious Kid we are very excited to be partnering with 4Scotty.org to provide Christmas presents for children in foster care in Washington, County, Oregon.
Starting this week we will have ornament tags available in our store. Each tag will have a child’s name, age and requested gift. Please consider coming in and choosing a tag and providing one gift for one of the children in our community.
Please come to our store at:
My Precious Kid
633 SE Baseline St
Hillsboro OR 97123
“The children in this community need your help. There are an OVERWHELMING number of children now in foster care and we are reaching out to the community to help us this holiday season! Partnering with the Washington County Department of Human Services / Child Welfare office, our organization is assisting these foster children during the holiday season. Although we have changed our name recently in honor of a fellow member of our organization, this is our 8th year in the community, which hopefully assures you that you are dealing with an organization that has a history and references in the community.
The foster children in our area, who range in age from newborn to18 years of age, find themselves in the foster care system during the holidays. For this reason, we work endlessly in our efforts to provide these children with not only a joyful holiday, but a safe and secure environment to ease their minds and hearts and show them that they are cared about. As you can imagine, these children are already traumatized by being in this situation which has forced them to leave everything they’ve known (including their parents/family), going to new “strange” families and often starting new schools.
These children are supported by 165 on-going foster homes, with some relative placement. Each foster home is usually at their maximum capacities of eight children and with the current state of the economy, these children need our help to brighten their holidays.
We have a job this year that we can’t do alone! Santa has given us a very important task to bring a little extra holiday cheer to these very special children. It is up to the community to try and make this happen. We need your help. You could help, if only for a moment, to put aside their troubles. This can be as easy as picking up another toy as you shop this year for your own Christmas list. It is that easy to help! Please find it in your heart to sponsor one or more these children this holiday season.
There are several ways that you can help. Sponsoring companies and individuals may elect to sponsor as little or as many children as they are able to with gift(s), sponsor a holiday party or for those busy individuals/companies with no extra time to spare – send a monetary contribution which will allow us to purchase gifts for these children. For those companies that put up a tree in their office for the holidays, we can provide gift tag ornaments to hang on your tree for your employees and/or company visitors to see. These tags contain the name, age and 3 gift suggestions made by the child for Christmas (unless the child is too young, or disabled and unable to make the suggestion in which case the foster parent makes the suggestions). The person simply purchases one suggestions on the tag and our staff comes by and picks up the donations prior to December 20th! Our staff then organizes these donations and distributes them to as many of these foster homes as possible. Considering the number of children we need to sponsor versus the low number of donations we anticipate this year, we are reaching out to everyone in the community for assistance. Without your assistance, providing this service to these children is impossible.”
PLEASE Consider helping us bless the children of our community!
During the winter months, your kids are not going to be happy staying cooped up indoors day in and day out. Sunlight is important for a growing child, and kids need to spend some time out of doors, even when it is cold outside.
There are all kinds of fun activities for kids to participate in during the winter. Most children love participating in winter sports such as hockey, figure skating, skiing, snowboarding, and broom ball. Others prefer going out and making snowmen or snow forts. All of these activities are a lot of fun, but there are also some risks associated with participating in winter sports and activities. You should definitely encourage your kids to get outside and get active when it is cold, but you’ll also want to take certain precautions in order to prevent illness and injury. Follow the tips listed below, and you’ll have a safe and enjoyable winter with your children.
Winter Safety Hazards:
As the weather gets colder, snowier and icier, kids and adults are more susceptible to certain types of injuries and illnesses. The immune system can be weakened by overexposure to the cold, thus leading to an increase in the common cold, the flu and more serious illnesses.
Even if it isn’t super cold out, the presence of snow and ice can be a major hazard for kids playing outside. A lot of accidents occur when kids slip on a patch of ice that they missed. Other children may get hurt while participating in various winter sports. Snowboarding in particular leads to a lot of injuries, such as abdominal trauma, broken bones and neck injuries. These usually happen when kids run in to trees, rocks or other snowboarders.
Just because these injuries and illnesses occur doesn’t mean it is a good idea to lock your kids inside all winter long. It is better to teach children about winter safety and then take the risk that they might get hurt. After all, getting hurt is a natural part of life, and it is impossible to avoid completely. A few other “101” reminders for you and your child:
Be wary of icicles
The steeper the hill, the greater the chance of injury
Snow Plows pose a serious safety threat
Snow forts will melt, break and collapse eventually
At Home:
Although it is great to bundle your kids up and send them outside, this will not always be possible. If there are subzero temperatures, super high wind chills, or worst of all, blizzards, you’ll want to keep the children indoors. While they are inside, there are certain precautions you can take to prevent illness. Have your children wash their hands frequently or use disinfectants when soap and water are not available. They should know to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing and immediately go wash their hands afterwards. This will prevent germs and viruses from spreading to other family members.
If it is a little nicer out, you may decide to have your children help out with shoveling the snow. Just be careful that you aren’t asking super young children to help out, for they risk getting injured from the heavy load of shovels full of snow. When they are outside shoveling, be sure to check on your kids frequently to make sure they aren’t getting frostbite or hypothermia. If your child does end up with frostbite or hypothermia, it is imperative that you take him or her to the hospital immediately. Waiting too long may lead to serious repercussion, and even death.
Dressing for the Weather:
The best way to keep kids safe when they are outside is to have them bundled up in warm winter clothes. Avoid materials that will get wet in heavy snow. Your kids should wear coats, snow pants, hats, mittens, boots and scarves. Some parents have their children wear mittens with attached by a string. The string can be threaded through the sleeves of a child’s coat so that he or she won’t lose them.
You aren’t always going to be around to supervise your kids when they go outside, so make sure that they understand the importance of dressing for the weather. They may not realize how important it is to wear hats and mittens, but it would be pretty awful if they had to learn the hard way and get frostbite. Sometimes, older children and teenagers think that wearing warmer clothes is not “cool,” so they’ll go to great measures to keep light clothing on. It may help to take them shopping for winter clothes and let them pick something that they’d actually be willing to wear out in public. Sometimes, teens are just too embarrassed to wear the clunky wool mittens knitted by grandma. Better to have them in a pair of warm mitten that they’ll actually remember to wear. Winter Sports:
A lot of kids get injured while participating in winter sports. Before your kids go out somewhere to play, you should have an idea of what the location is like and whether it is safe. For example, if your children want to go sledding, you should know if there are a lot rocks or trees on the sledding hill. And if they are planning on going snowboarding or downhill skiing, it is good to have some idea of how extensive the slope’s snow patrol is. You don’t want your kid snowboarding somewhere where he or she can’t get help in the event of an injury.
These days, a lot of kids and teens get injured in snowmobiling accidents. Before a child goes out in a snowmobile, he or she should understand how to operate it and what to do in case of an emergency. Your child should always wear protective gear while snowmobiling, and must be under the supervision of a responsible adult.
So, if you’d like a damage-free child this winter, keep them within eye sight and be sure to take all the proper precautions when it comes to the winter season. A little extra vitamin C and soup wouldn’t hurt, and you can always avoid enormous doctor bills by making sure to instill your own applicable safety knowledge in any sort of physical activity or sporting event.
My husband and I had just gotten a new kitten, and she hadn’t quite mastered the litter box concept yet. She repeatedly urinated on the comforter on our bed, which doesn’t fit in our tiny washing machine, so every time she had an accident, we had to drag the huge comforter to the local laundromat, and sit there for an hour while we waited for it to wash and dry. One week, I had made three trips to the laundromat and I was feeling like I was at my wit’s end. I did not know what to do. Then I read something about pets; if they can smell even the faintest scent of their own urine somewhere, they will continually use that area as their bathroom. I knew that I needed to find something stronger to clean the urine smell out of my comforter completely, so I decided to give the Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer a try. I thought, if it can work for diapers, why not bedding? I took one more trip to the laundromat, and I am so happy to say that I have not had to go back! The Ammonia Bouncer was easy to use, and worked like a charm. My comforter came out smelling fresher than ever, and my kitten has had zero accidents since then. I am so grateful to have found this product! I would recommend it to anyone who is having a similar problem. Awesome product!
These have provided me tremendous peace of mind for my children. The fact that my 10 year old son has this on him at all times is comforting. It means that I know that someone can contact me at any time in case there is an emergency.
As for my 16 year old, who is starting to drive, the dog tag is attached to his car key. Again, it’s a peace of mind issue for me. I know that if something were to happen to him, his emergency information will be in easy reach. I just love this item!
I love the fact that the locking plate is screwed into my patio door, at the slider part, not on the actual door. This makes it harder to move my patio door out of the slider track. Since my door has “locking” issues, it provides peace of mind, and more than a simple stick in the runner does.
I like that I can easily unlock this item for full access through my sliding door. I also like how my youngest child cannot reach the lock without help. However, this item allows for the patio door to be opened just about an inch or so while locked, allowing for ventilation if needed.
Written by Tracey W, Administrative Assistant for My Precious Kid
I am in contact with lots of small business owners. And I always surprised when I go to their web site or Facebook page and can not find a way to email or phone them. Are you making it easy for your potential customers to reach you? If you are not they may go elsewhere. So below is my list of ways I make it easy for my customers to contact me.
1. WEB SITE: My email link, phone number and physical address are on the bottom of every single page of my web site. I have a contact us form but ALSO list an email link and phone number for those who will not use a form. We recently added our 800# on the top of our site in plain view. Customer phone calls increased, which also means an increase in orders!
2. FACEBOOK: On my Facebook personal profile I filled in the employer tab with a link to my business FB fan page. And I made it publicly viewable. So if someone sees me on a group or other page and clicks my profile name they can find my business name and link easily.
3. FACEBOOK FANPAGE: On the Facebook info page I place my website link, my business email address plus my business phone number.
4. EMAIL: In the signature of every email I write is my business name, address, phone number, and website link. I am often surprised by business email I get where they use gmail and no business info. So I have to write back and ASK which company they are with.
5. GOOGLE PLACES: Create a google places page for your business. Add photos and your business info. Add your website link, address, phone and email link there as well.
If you work from home you may need to get a phone number with distinctive ring so you have a separate number without a separate line. And get a suite number box at your local UPS store so you have physical address to list.
Written by Kay Green, CEO & Founder of My Precious Kid
At My Precious Kid we have been busy adding some fun events to our store schedule. Please add these to your schedule and come join in our fun! We love having a full house at our Hillsboro Store!
Thursday November 10, 2011 9 am – 5 pm Cloth Diaper Day
Free classes/consultations, discounts and door prize drawings.
Friday November 25, 2011 9 am 1 5 pm Black Friday Sale
Discount Scratch off coupons and door prize drawing plus super sales.
Saturday November 26, 2011 10 am – 2 pm
Discounts Scratch off coupons, door prize drawings and super sales.
Use your registered American Express Card in our store and get $20 rebate back from AMEX.
Thursday December 15, 2011 Holiday Open House
Product demonstrations, scratch off discount cards, door prize drawings, refreshments.
Monday Dec 26 – Friday December 30, 2011 Inventory Reduction Sale
Great deals on lots of in store products. Deals not valid on previous purchases.
Come join us at
My Precious Kid
633 SE Baseline St
Hillsboro OR 97123
We at MY PRECIOUS KID are beyond thrilled, honored, humbled and surprised to win the title of “Most Awesome Baby Boutique” for the Portland Oregon area today. Red Tricycle received over 140,000 votes for their “Most Awesome” event. We learned after the voting had already been going for a couple of weeks that we had been nominated and then selected to the top ten.
So the voting continued for several weeks. And tonight we received notification that we had been selected the 1st place winner! What is funny to me is that we have been an online child safety store for 10 years. Then we opened a small child safety brick/mortar store 3 years ago. I always said while shopping for products that “we are not a boutique”! So I passed up bringing in those cute cuddly baby boutique items.
Well in June 2011 we moved into a 3100 SF retail store front. And with the new location came the need for more boutique like products. So while we continue to offer child safety products, child proofing, and safe baby gear, we now also have 12 brands of cloth diapers and accessories plus baby gifts and other unique baby products. We even have items made by local moms. So now we truly are a baby boutique!
And today we became the “Most Awesome Baby Boutique” in the Portland Oregon area. I know we could not have reached this award without the help of our many customers, friends, and Facebook fan who nominated and voted for us. I want to say THANK YOU to you all.
Thursday November 10, 2011 we are having a CLOTH DIAPER DAY.
We will cover “How to Cloth Diaper”, Why to cloth diaper, Cloth Diaper Brands, Cloth Diaper Styles, Cloth Diaper Costs, Cloth Diaper Laundry and more. Please join us for a full day of cloth diaper fun.
Thursday November 10, 2011 9 am – 5 pm at
My Precious Kid (next to Hank’s Market)
633 SE Baseline St
Hillsboro OR 97123
We will also have door prize drawings, discount coupons, sales and more fun. If you currently cloth diaper your baby or have been considering it, you will want to come! We will be doing one-on-one consultations and demonstration all thru the day.
Did you know you can save $2000 or more by using cloth diapers over the cost of disposables for 1 child? Lets us show you how easy it is to get started. We are the largest cloth diaper store in Oregon and have 12+ brands of diapers and accessories. We can help you find the style that best fits your families lifestyle.
I get lots of questions from my moms group about starting their baby on solid foods. There are many opinions on when to start. With my oldest children I was told to start at 8 week. With my last I was told 4 months. And some moms in my group are told 6 months. My daughter was told her start her twins with reflux at 8 weeks. My personal opinion is that unless there are medical reasons it is really up to each parent to decide what is best for their baby and their family. I personally start between 3-4 months when my child is showing signs they are ready.
I look for the following signs:
has been sleeping along stretch at night and suddenly stops
watching me eat
leaning toward me with mouth open when I am eating
Once you have decided the time to start, the next step is to decide your process.
Again many opinions exist of which food to start first.
rice or no grains at all?
fruit or veggies?
time of day?
My preference is to start with rice as it has been the least allergic food for the dozen of babies I have helped. And I choose a time of day that is convent for me. I pick a time between 2 milk feedings. So baby is neither full not too hungry. I start with one tablespoon of rice cereal mixed with a small amount of breast milk, formula, or water. Make it thin enough they could suck it off the spoon if they wanted to. I sit my baby in our bouncy seat with a bib on. And I introduce a few bites. In the beginning they will push it out of their mouth with their tongue.
I keep trying for a few bites as long as they are happy and seem interested. If they get fussy or turn their head away then I stop for that feeding. I try again the next day. A percentage of babies will take to it excitedly from the very first time. A percentage with take to it after a few days. And a small percentage will fuss against it even after a week. In the last case I stop and wait a month and then try again. If it is going well after a week then I introduce a fruit or vegetable mixed with the rice cereal. I will give that combination for another 4-7 days. That timing allows me to see if there is an allergic reaction.
I use my baby calendar to track my feeding. Each time I add a new food I write it down and give that food each day for 4-7 days. I personally like to alternate fruit / veggie / fruit / veggie. If I see baby getting constipated at all with the solids I switch to oatmeal instead of rice. Oatmeal seems to get thing moving again for baby. I give one feeding a day until 6 month. Then I move to 2 feedings a day. And by 9 months move 3 feedings a day. That schedule has worked well for us. There are no rules for this. It is simply suggestions for what works for us.
Feeding solid foods is one of my favorite times with my babies. I love seeing them learning the new skill. And I enjoy their looks of joy at new flavors and extras. So you get to decide when to start your new baby on solid food.
Here are some products that help me with this journey
I have had the incredible privilege of attending a number of babies births. It is a delightful, incredible, miracle to experience. Along with attending births I have been honored to walk along side these mothers in their earliest days of mothering. As I had my own children I have enjoyed the relationship I have built with so many of these mothers. One of these was our pastor and his wife who had given birth to their first child. A couple of years later she asked me if I would be willing to facilitate a mothers group at church. I gladly agreed. That was 7 years ago. Mommy2Mommy was born.
During that 7 years we have met every wednesday morning around the calendar. We usually miss only 2-3 weeks all year long. Each week 5-12 moms and their babies come to class. We talk about child safety, sleeping, feeding, breastfeeding, car seats, potty training, discipline and much more. We even have out own Facebook fan page. I am not even sure how many dozens of moms and babies I have gotten to love on and encourage. I have loved meeting each and every one of them.
Young moms these days often do not have their mothers living close to them. And they are surrounded by lots of conflicting information thru tv and internet. So they tell me that the chance to come and share with other mothers in the same stages as their is comforting. They also coming to hear “Yes that is normal”! So every week they bring their babies and their questions. And I do my best t help them feel like strong successful mothers. And as they move along the mothering pass they share their knowledge with new mothers in their lives as well.
So our Mommy2Mommy groups meets in Hillsboro Oregon. Consider starting a group of your own in your community or church. Create a community of mothers to help each other on this wonderful journey.
I am Kay Green. I am Mama to 4 great kids ages 11-29, both by birth and adoption. I am also Nana to 4 great children ages 1, 2, 2, 4 (yes twins). And I am blessed to be Auntie Kay and Nana Kay to many many children in my community!
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