Last week we had a boo boo day in our family.

I took the boys on a walk and Jimmy ran around a bit.  He slipped and fell and then rolled over and banged his head. It was right next to a bench so I picked him up, and I kissed his head and calmed him down. Luckily, we were very close to home so he could get treated by his Abba. We put some healing cream on his scrapes and then he went off to play with his toys.

Max followed me into the bathroom. I was busy with Jimmy and only keeping one eye on Max. He reached into the bathtub to get a toy and fell in (without any water – don’t worry!). He banged his head and was just in shock. We hugged him and kissed him and had to take him to the window to look outside before he would calm down.

Each of my children want different things when they get hurt and need to calm down. Jimmy just wants a kiss on his boo boo, but Max likes to be distracted and loves looking at the sky and nature outside. Some children only feel better with a band-aid and others act tough and just continue what they were doing.

All kids get hurt. It’s just part of being a kid. You know what your kid needs, but what would you do if you saw another kid get hurt or crying?

Hubby was running errands when he saw a little girl, around 2 or 3, crying on the sidewalk. Her sister, maybe 5, was with her, holding her hand. Hubby went over to the girl and picked her up. He wanted to care for her like he does with our kids. He didn’t want her to cry. The little crying girl stopped crying and just looked at him for a few seconds. Hubby put her down and she took her sister’s hand and they walked off, probably towards home.

What should  we do if a child is crying? Should we leave her or try to care for her? What actions would be permissible and what would be considered off limits? Are the rules different for men and women or girls and boys?

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A few weeks ago our homework for gan was to give Jimmy gold stickers when he shared with his brother or did nice things in the family. In general, Jimmy is a great kid and super helpful around the house -  he just got stickers for it this time. His sheet was not full of gold circles, but he did have enough on there to show off his skills.

How do we teach our kids to share and be polite?

From 18 months a child can learn politeness. They won’t understand everything, but they can get some simple aspects. Teach your child to care for others and how to help out by explaining that both the receiver and the doer benefit. It can be fun and rewarding to see someone appreciate something nice you did for him.

Keep the table rules simple and easy enough to follow – like only sitting, no standing on chairs, at the table. When your child is a bit older those rules can develop into a napkin on the lap when eating or using a fork and a knife.

Take temperament into account – if she is shy she may whisper thank you, while outgoing kids are always eager to say hello and goodbye.

When they are a little older, children have a better memory and vocabulary. It is easier to explain manners in a way that speaks to them. If your child takes another child’s toy, explain that it isn’t what we do and that if he doesn’t return it, he will be punished. It is not an option to return it. It is not his toy and cannot just take it. Use these opportunities to teach about borrowing and trading. If your son gives his playmate something else to use, sometimes it is okay to do a switcharoo. Another kid may allow your son to use her toy for a certain amount of time until he needs to give it back. If he doesn’t return it there could be consequences.

Compare your child’s actions and behavior to characters that she knows. When she refuses to apologize tell her that she is acting like Cinderella’s step-sisters.She may not realize that she is acting mean until she has the comparison. She’ll remember that they weren’t nice to Cinderella (that was a major part of the story) and hopefully she won’t want to be like them anymore.

Play pretend so she can see that manners are for always, not just when you are around. If she likes tea parties, keep the same table rules like using cutlery, and she’ll see that there is no other way in your family.

Teaching kids to be good and polite is important for making your family run well, as well as becoming a good and caring person in society. Show appreciation for their efforts and your children will be happy that they did good with you or with others.

The stickers are just an added bonus for the learning process.

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Max has always been my good eater. He was just interested in eating pretty much everything that we have ever offered him. He eats veggies and proteins and always made meal time enjoyable.

A few months ago, Max got a vaccination and then he just wasn’t feeling well for a day or two (teething?). Understandably, he didn’t have a great appetite for a bit. But, it lasted too long. He barely touched any of the foods that he usually loves. It was so hard for me because I didn’t want him to be hungry. He’s my baby!

Months ago when Max went to tipat chalav he was in the 50-75th  percentile for weight. Two months later he was in the 25th percentile. Last he went, he was in the 5th percentile. That’s a huge drop in just a few months. While I wasn’t so worried about his actual weight, I mean, he was still in the average range, I wanted him to eat more and eat well too.

When I had a doctor’s appointment for myself, I had the doctor check Max out and he suggested a blood test to be sure that all the food he is eating is being absorbed well. He was just barely gaining weight for months and I just needed to know that he was alright. On the referral form for the blood test the doctor wrote 3 intense words – failure to thrive.

The good news is that Max also didn’t like those words. He didn’t want to be a failure. Who would? Pretty much the moment he heard those words he started eating again. We stayed in a hotel that weekend with my in-laws and he ate so much of the food – trying old and new things. And he didn’t stop there. He has been eating properly and often wants more.

The blood test results came back that he was low on iron – makes sense since he barely had any protein in him for a few months – but everything else looks good. Yea! My baby is back!

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When I think of decorating my kids’ rooms I think about creating a space for them to draw and color and express themselves. I would love for them to feel comfortable doodling when they get in the mood, but I always worry about the walls in the house.

For a while I have been trying to figure out the best idea to make a specific drawing space in their rooms to prevent markers everywhere else in the house and the best idea I had was a chalkboard.

There are a few ways to have this blackboard – make it yourself, buy a blackboard or get a chalkboard sticker. Lucky for us, there is a deal to get a huge chalkboard sticker for only 109 NIS instead of 230 NIS. That’s a decent deal! The sale only lasts till tomorrow (Wednesday), but check it out if you can.

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I am proud to say that Jimmy got his first job offer!

We have been joking around about him needing to make some money to pay for all of his diapers and the like, but it seems he could  be on his way to a real future.

When we were at a hotel in Tel Aviv this weekend with my in-laws, Jimmy was pushing a table around at the pool. He lifted it up on the ramp and then pushed it around some more. He and Max love to move all of our furniture. There hasn’t been a day in a few weeks when our furniture stayed in the same place the whole day. Max uses the furniture to help him move around the house, but they both just love the idea of being in control of where the tables will end up.

So Jimmy was moving this table for a while and the Pool Manager came over to him and told him that they need more people to help around the pool. It was shabbat so we didn’t discuss payment.

We thought about Jimmy working there, but realized that we were in Tel Aviv and we live in Jerusalem. The commute is way too long and isn’t just one straight bus. It wouldn’t be worth all the traveling. We decided that it didn’t make sense and that Jimmy had to decline the offer.

If he got a job offer at a hotel in Jerusalem we may think otherwise.

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I am always looking out for design ideas and this is one is something that brings back memories for many of us. Who hasn’t played Tetris growing up, or at least watched their friends playing the game?

The fun thing about this Tetrad shelving unit is that you can create any Tetris-shaped configuration you want. Here is a printable shape configuration sheet to figure out what the best set up is for your specific space.

The boxes are a mix-and-match idea that can be connected to the wall as well as free standing. The shapes can be connected together with metal brackets as well. I know I would like the multicolor version, but it also comes in white or natural wood. A very important aspect of these shelves, and all of the Brave Space Design line, is that the materials are all green and sustainable. It’s always nice to help the environment when designing your home.

If I had extra space in my home for decoration shelves I would definitely think about something like this. It is just a fun and expressive way to add some storage space to the room. Unfortunately, because of the crazy shapes, it would be hard to really utilize the space productively. Many of the spaces could be workable, though. Print out the configuration sheet and see how it could fit in your home.

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The other day I took Max to the grocery store for a few minutes. Only after we had left the store did I look in the stroller to see that he was holding a pack of gum.  I quickly ran back to the store to return it. I know he didn’t mean to steal it, but he wanted to hold the box and just went for it.

What should one do when her child steals?

The first thing is to calm down. Understand why children steal. Toddlers have the “me complex” and believe that everything belongs to them, unless they are told otherwise. When children are a bit older, they may try to identify with others through objects and therefore take things from parents or siblings, to be like them.

Now that we realize why children may take what isn’t theirs, we have to do something about this offense. The first time it is usually just to explore and experiment. That is what childhood is about. Even if the child knows he did something wrong, and even lies about it, don’t get upset. Every situation can be a learning experience.

The child will only be open to learning if he doesn’t feel overly guilty about his action. Tell him that you know where he got the item from and that we don’t take from others without permission.

As the parent, constantly teach him that we can only have something if we ask for it and the reply is yes.  In my house I try to get Jimmy to give Max something else to play with if he wants what Max has, or vise versa.  Explain the concept of borrowing – make sure he understands that he needs to return the item when he is done with it or when the owner wants it back. And treat the object with respect and care, just like he would want someone else to treat his possessions.

Tell him “If you want something specific in the store, ask me and if I let, know that you can’t have it until we pay for it.” This teaches him to ask for things, use proper manners (please and thank you are great here) and use patience and delay gratification – a very important skill for the future.

Discuss the consequences with him. Ask what he thinks the next plan of action should be. If he comes up with a good solution, give him credit and when he succeeds, praise him for doing the right thing.

If the stealing continues, look out for what is really going on with him. Is it insecurity or lack of attention? If you are unsure or don’t know how to deal with it, seek help. Your child may just be asking for someone else to intervene.

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Not only is populating the world with more children a good thing, but it often brings with it more creativity and ideas. A few designers are soon-to-be or new mothers and they have already started to design clothing and furniture and toys for these little ones.

Here are some good examples of what we have to look forward to:

Oh Joy! posts some little finds for the little ones  – from clothing to cake design and some tips for the nursery as well.

Design for MiniKind shows origami inspired clothing that grows with your belly. Great idea!

If you are like me and love looking at kids’ bedroom ideas check out Design Sponge.

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I know this probably sounds weird, but I counted how many times I had morning sickness with my first pregnancy. Morning sickness is just one of those things that almost every pregnant woman gets in movies and in real life and I just wanted to check how my pregnancy compared. Luckily the number was low enough that I was actually able to keep count. I know that getting sick so often is a major reason that some women wait to have another child.

There are some natural ways to prevent or reduce the nausea or vomiting during those 9 months.

Eat a number of small meals a day. Nausea can be linked to hunger so it is important to keep blood sugar stable and not reduce to many calories. Keep some crackers or pretzels by your bed and nibble a bit before you get up.

Take prenatal vitamins on a full stomach. Iron can be harsh on the stomach, but with food in the system it shouldn’t do much. If the iron is still too much for you to take talk to your doctor about non-iron fortified pills and eating a more iron rich diet instead.

Take the prenatal vitamins at night. If the pills add to your nausea try them before bed, on a full stomach.

Try Ginger. It is known to be a nausea-reducer and stomach settler. Take it anyway you like it – tea, lozenges, or even raw. It should do the trick.

Drink peppermint and lemon teas. Like ginger, peppermint and lemon are known to reduce nausea. Drink some tea throughout the day and feel better. Just don’t drink too much or too quickly – it could cause the opposite effect.

Avoid smells that add to the queasiness. Learn what makes you feel sick and stay away from them. Easy as that.

Eat carbs and protein. Listen to your cravings and eat those crackers and chicken when your body tells you to. There is a reason your body wants you to eat that stuff.

If it gets really bad, speak to your doctor. If the vomiting is persistent it can be harmful to you and/or the baby. Hyperemesis gravidarum – excessive vomiting during pregnancy – can lead to dehydration because it is hard to keep much, if anything, down. An IV may be needed to provide the mother with fluids and nutrients she needs during the pregnancy. Get the treatment necessary to feel good for you and your baby.

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