Posts Tagged ‘behaven kids’

One of the best benefits of working for Behaven Kids is the fact that I learned about The Sleep Fairy early in Myles life. So thankfully I haven’t really had a battle with getting him to stay in bed at night.  Rather my issue has been him getting up too early in the morning (i.e. the middle of the night).   So when the opportunity to review a Zazoo clock, I jumped at the opportunity  as the photo clock is made to grow with your child (nothing like getting to test something with both a 2 year old and 7 year old).

The main reason most parents would purchase the clock is the “don’t get out of bed – mommy is still sleeping” (my own wording of course) function, although it has several other functions – it’s an alarm clock, digital photo frame, and MP3 player too.

Looking WAY to happy at 5am!

In our household – we were going to use the clock first to keep Myles in bed! I wasn’t sure how well it would work – as the concept seemed so simple (letting kids know if it was time to get out of bed using a photo) but as I’m getting tired of 5:30 mornings – I was willing to give it a shot.

I am one of the least technical people out there (I hate setting things up!) but thankfully it was very straightforward.  Honestly, you can just take it out of the box and plug it in and pretty much go (other than setting the day and night times).

It comes with options for night time & nap sleep settings  but since Myles attends child care while I’m at work – I just set it up for night time.   How it works is pretty simple – a screen that shows a picture (either a pre-programmed one or one that I upload from my computer) that clues Myles that he is supposed to stay in bed and another photo that shows when it’s time to get up.  We chose the dinosaur pre-programmed options and plugged in the times – and away we went.  At 7 am, the photo on the clock switches from a sleeping dinosaur to an awake one – a simple sign to Myles that it’s okay to get out of bed.  And wouldn’t you know – it works like a charm!  Myles is obviously too young to read a clock, so it’s an innovative solution to figuring out how to let him know if it’s too early to get out of bed or not.  Yeah!!

Other than the “it’s too early to get up” function – the Zazoo clock has a few other features, including the fact that it is a digital photo frame. It comes equipped with a memory card, so all you have to do is hook the frame up to your computer and viola – family pictures for your child to look at! Eventually we added photos to the clock and both of the boys love to stand in front of Myle’s dresser and point out different family members.  And most importantly to Reece– it plays music (what good is an alarm clock that doesn’t?!)  It comes with 11 songs built into the memory, along with the ability to download more music to memory card.  You can play the music through the speakers or headphones (a feature I love – if I hear a Justin Beieber song one more time I might scream!)  The clock also comes with a cute little remote to control the music and photos, that while too advanced for Myles – is perfect for Reece.

I was also impressed with the durability of the frame, it’s definitely a kid-friendly design that will hold up to a few drops by a little one.

The only thing that I would love to see is more plain color options – I think that the clock would “grow up” more easily with a child (into pre-teens, etc) if you could get a plain black, blue, purple, etc one. Plus for moms like me who like things to match in the bedroom – plain colors are easier to incorporate than themes.  They do have some really cute options though, including the blue peace sign one that we reviewed and a yellow fish one!

As the mom of a 2 year old, my purse is always filled with an interesting array of objects that I use to keep him busy while at his big brother’s activities and practices.  Typically you can find a few Hot Wheel cars, a bouncy ball, paper/crayons, and a small book.  There are always issues with those items though (bouncy balls can bounce very very very far away) and crayons have been known to color on things other than paper…. Recently my “keep him busy” stash has grown with the addition of Tegu magnetic wooden blocks.  These blocks are simply amazing!!

The first time I got them out was at Reece’s basketball game and Myles was getting a little bit restless.  I pulled out the pouch and immediately caught his attention (he loves blocks and to build things).  He began stacking them together and got such delight out of the fact that they stuck together and made a little “click” noise.  Plus, he could show me his creations without the blocks crashing to the floor.  An added bonus?  By playing with them on the metal bleachers, the blocks stayed put – no dropping them on the floor!

I keep them secure in my purse so that they are always something “new” that he doesn’t get to play with at home.  So far, each time that I’ve gotten them out to play with (5 or so times) a big smile crosses Myles face and he excitedly begins playing.

What’s even better is that the company has a great story –

In 2006, Tegu co-founder Chris Haughey returned from Honduras with a vision to create a for-profit business that would have a transforming effect on the lives of Hondurans. They have established an independent toy factory in Honduras and a partnership with a local school.  Tegu brings world-class employment standards to Central American by paying their employees a living wage and prioritizing long-term career growth and development rather than simple task-based jobs. They also work with local Honduran cooperatives who hand pick mature trees and support reforestation, donating a portion of revue to replanting efforts.

So, not only do they have a really cool product – they are a really cool company.  One that I feel good supporting and endorsing.  So now onto the part which probably originally brought you to this post – WIN IT WEDNESDAY!

Tegu has offered the same blocks they sent me to review – the Pocket Pouch in Jungle (ARV $32).

For an entry into this week’s drawing – let us know what you keep in your purse to keep your little one entertained!

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Giveaway ends 11/15/12 at 11:59 p.m. CST!

Congrats to our winner, Kirsten K.!

Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving will soon be upon us.  Ahhh, my favorite holiday of the year!  Yummy food, lots of family and friends, and no pressure of gifts.  Just getting together to eat, eat, and eat.

If you are on Facebook, I am sure you have noticed the 30 Days of Thankfulness that is going around.  For every day in November, you are supposed to post something that you are thankful for.  So far, I have seen that people are thankful for their spouses, their children, the fact that they are blessed enough to have two vehicles, and the fact that they live in a country where freedom is celebrated on a daily basis.  My favorite so far has been being thankful for their children’s imagination because it always reminds her to not be so serious all the time.

I started to post what I was thankful for on Day One but I had trouble deciding what to put.  Should I put my husband?  My kids?  My parents?  The fact that we have two steady incomes?  The fact that we have a roof over our heads and food in the pantry?  I am so thankful for all those things and so many more.  I would need more than 30 days to post them all.  So which ones get the honor of being posted?  I just couldn’t decide (and maybe, just maybe, I was making this more difficult than it had to be).  So, I have decided to post only one thing that I am thankful for this year:

I am thankful for this life that I have been given.  With all of its trials and tribulations, joys and celebrations, sorrows and tears, I couldn’t ask for a better life.  I am thankful for everyone that has crossed my path in my life because I have learned so much from each and every one of them, no matter how short our time together was.  From the person that taught me that dancing can bring so much joy to the person that taught me that pain can bring pleasure (I hate lunges!!!), they have all come into my life for a reason.  And I wouldn’t change a single thing about it!

So, what are you thankful for this season?

Today is a very special day for Behaven Kids – twelve years ago today, Behaven Kids admitted their very first child!

What they have accomplished in the last 12 years is nothing short of amazing, including the following:

• Paid staff – Many thanks to Roger & Janie’s daughters Molly & Macy for their “volunteerism” in the beginning days – now Behaven Kids has over 75 paid staff.
• Facility capacity- The first Behaven Kids location (a small house on Center street in Omaha, NE) had room for only 10 kids– now Behaven Kids has 2 company-owned facilities, one more under construction in NE, and 2 franchises (NE & OH.)
• Interns – Kate Anderson was the first intern – Behaven Kids now accept interns from many local undergrad, graduate and doctoral programs.
• Transportation volunteers – Janie & Roger’s friend, Dee Valenti, was the first “driver.”  Behaven Kids had 5 children enrolled in the center and Dee volunteered to drive children to school so they could stay in the program–  transportation is now paid and delivered by outside resources.
• Therapists – Roger & Janie’s friend, Nancee Meester, was Behaven Kids first therapist.  She had a full-time job, but was willing to work in her spare time – now Behaven Kids employees approximately 30 therapists.
• Research – Dr. Ray Burke and Dr. Brett Kuhn worked together from the beginning to make sure that Behaven Kids collected data on the specialized day program and on The Sleep Fairy book – Behaven Kids  now have a research committee comprised of 4 universities and have published several articles.
• School contracts – Behaven Kids first school contract was for a very angry 120 lb Kindergartner.  He had to be one of the toughest I’ve (Janie) ever seen and our staff did not quit on him – Behaven Kids now accepts school contracts from all surrounding schools, have a designated Alternative School, and a certified NE teacher (Go Katy!)
• Computers – Behaven Kids borrowed Roger & Janie’s home computer in the beginning – Now not only has Behaven Kids owned hundreds of computers over the 12 years, we now have our own IT Specialist, Social Media Specialist, FB, Pinterest, Twitter, bloggers, etc…… =)
• Outreach – In the beginning, Roger and Janie handled the outreach (very little, I (Janie) might add) – Now Behaven Kids have critical positions in each center whose primary responsibility is to educate child cares, pediatricians, businesses, and schools about our programs.
• Billing – this was Janie filling out forms and when it got to be too much, Lou Ann, her sister-in-law, assisted – now Behaven Kids have a billing company and several business personnel in each site assuring that all is done accurately.
• Training – this was completed by “modeling and instruction.”  There were no training manuals.  Our first trainers:  Roger, Molly, Macy and Janie (the Peterson clan).  We are pleased that Behaven Kids now have manuals and a training department!

And a note from Roger & Janie to the dedicated staff at Behaven Kids:

This is a GREAT program with GREAT staff that do UNBELIEVABLE things with children and families!!   This program has touched so many lives and Roger and I want to thank EVERYONE of you for your skills, laughter, support, and passion.  We are so fortunate to have shared your lives with you all:  births, engagements, weddings, losses, new staff joining our team, staff leaving, staff coming back, furthering your education, PLMHP’s, LMHP’s, and so much more.

My dad loves to tell stories.  My daughter loves spiders.  They both love camping.  Along came Sarah Spider.

Sarah Spider is a spider (obviously) that lives in a RV with her spider family.  Sarah has many great adventures as the family in the RV goes from campground to campground.  My dad makes up these stories for my kids (and the adults, too) and tells them around the campfire at night.  We all love to hear the Sarah Spider stories.  And he loves to tell them.  It’s almost like Sarah Spider and her family has become a part of our family now.

This past weekend, we had our annual “Friends and Family Reunion” camping trip at Springbrook State Park near Guthrie Center, Iowa.  My family has been meeting at the same park on the same weekend in October since before I was born.  It is always the second weekend in October no matter what the weather, rain or shine (or in one case, snow).  It started out as a picnic on Sunday and has since evolved into a full-weekend (Friday-Sunday) camping trip for some of us.  And the picnic is now on Saturday for those who just join us for the day. We have tons of fun.  Board games, card games, great fires, good food, scaring each other on nighttime walks around the lake or when we come out of the outhouse, taking the dogs swimming in the lake, kayaking in the lake and learning that water won’t hold us up when we tip over, badminton, croquet, hiking, a trip to the local Orscheln’s store for sweatshirts, boots, and large jars of pickles, taking naps, and just sitting around and talking.

This year, my dad was not able to join us.  Because of this, my mom did not bring her camper and instead, shared a tent with my children.  (Unfortunately, the second night was a bit rainy and they got wet and we had to pack up in the wee hours of the morning and head for dry ground.)  But Lauren said something to me today after we got home that made me realize how much a part of our camping trips Sarah Spider has become.

Lauren: “Mom, you know grandpa wasn’t the only one who didn’t get to go to Springbrook this year.”

Me: “Oh yeah?  Who else was missing?”

Lauren: “Well, Grandma Margaret didn’t get to come but I just realized that Sarah didn’t get to go either.  I hope she wasn’t too sad.”

Aren’t family traditions great?  I hope when my children are grown up with families of their own and careers that they love, that they will remember to mark our camping trip on their calendar.  I know my dad will love sharing his Sarah Spider stories with his great-grandchildren around the fireplace in the big shelter at the top of the hill.

And if you don’t have anything going on, come join us.  Remember, the second weekend of October at Springbrook State Park in Guthrie Center, Iowa.  See you there!

In college, and even for a while after, I waited tables at an upscale restaurant. I waited on every type of person under the sun. From “socialites” (or as close to socialites as our smallish town has), to real estate moguls; from local celebrities, to famous winemakers. (Ever heard of Riedel wine glasses? Yeah, that was a fun day!)

On the average Saturday night, I would see a variety of people. What we didn’t see too many of, was kids.  If we saw the hostess walking toward our section with a family that had young kids or toddler in hand, we crossed our fingers and hoped she wasn’t heading for our section. Waiting on kids takes a whole different attitude and mental preparation. Our restaurant offered the standard crayons and coloring sheet, but the majority of the time, the poor kiddos were bored out of their minds. There were no TV’s for them to zone out on, and only elevator music playing over the speakers.

I used to grumble and roll my eyes when parents would set their kid up with a DVD player and headphones to keep them occupied while the grown-ups ate dinner and socialized. (This was before the days of iPads and Kindles.) For some reason, in my naïve way of thinking, I thought these kids should be able to participate in the evening.  Order for themselves, sit still, and stay quiet for an hour while mom and dad had a nice, very expensive meal, like I had to when I was their age. That should be that difficult, right?

WRONG! Now that I have 2 young, rowdy boys of my own (ages 5 and 4), I can feel the pain of every parent that has tried to have a night out with kids in tow. All I can say is thank God that I am raising my kids in the era of iPhones, YouTube, and mobile internet on basically every electronic device we have. I couldn’t even begin to count the times where one or both of my boys has interrupted a conversation and begun to pester me for something. I fire up my iPhone, hand it to them saying “Here! Go do something!” (If you are not guilty of this…..you are a better parent that I will ever claim to be)  Heck, even the Duggars have computers and cell phones! Don’t pretend you don’t know who I am talking about!  =)

My question is: Are we raising our kids to believe that they deserve to be entertained 100% of the time? I very clearly remember each of my parents saying to me “I was not put on this earth to entertain you!” Do kids nowadays even know how to create their own fun? When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs or a major city, we would ride our bikes with no destination, make up songs, dance, play outside with our dogs, and run and run.

How do we make sure that our kids don’t grow up to be TV/Tablet/Computer zombies? Do we as parents need to implement a strict “no technology” hour or 2 every day?  Do we need to focus on more ways for your kids to have true imaginative play?

What do you do in regards to technology with your young kiddos?

My kindergartner, almost a 6 year old, is my picky eater.  He never used to be that way and I’m not really sure what went wrong.  I mostly blame myself, as I by history have been a picky eater and still continue to be to this day.  I remember as a child I pretty much only ate macaroni and cheese, cheerios and mashed potatoes and gravy.  It’s probably why I’ve been on the slender side most of my life (until post babies).  In college I refused to pay for the overpriced meal plan at the cafeteria and lived off of wheat thins, cottage cheese, and microwavable macaroni and cheese.

Today I have improved and  my diet has expanded to a much larger repertoire of food items but I still have limits.  I struggle with meat.  I like the taste (kind of- depends how it’s prepared) but I absolutely can’t stand to see it or the texture if I get some gristle in my mouth.  It throws me for a loop.  I could live solely on carbs and be okay with that- pasta, bread, potatoes, bagels- you name it along that category and I’m golden.  I better pray that I maintain a relatively high metabolism forever!  I am proud to say that I’ve tried sushi (huge for me—thanks Roger and Janie!) and actually enjoyed it.  That’s probably the most exotic food item for me, but I have eaten various meat items and fish (like mahi mahi, salmon, swordfish, etc.) that I have enjoyed as well.

I also blame myself in the fact that I’m not really a cook either.  My mom has always loved to cook and she just always did it.  I have just never felt comfortable in the kitchen.  It can be anxiety producing for me!  I can’t add a dab of this or a dash of that or wing anything.  Recipes have to be easy to follow and I have to know what all of the ingredients are.   I have subscribed to a year of emeals to assist with that.  The recipes are super easy to follow and there’s very few way out there ingredients and so do feel comfortable prepare meals based upon that.  The difficulty comes in with if my son will eat it or not.

The behavior analyst in me knows I should do a functional analysis to scientifically and systematically evaluate his food refusal, but regular moms don’t do that.  Why should I have too?  My rationale is if perhaps I come up with a plan and pair it with a good reinforcement system (he wants a new fish pretty bad after “Big Shark” bit the dust or should I say visited the porcelain god) that I may fix some of the problem without being all scientific.

The biggest problem for me is the plan.  What kind of plan do I come up with that makes sense and doesn’t make me feel guilty because this is apparently all my fault?  I don’t feel right making him sit and eat a whole serving of a meal that he absolutely distastes.  If someone made me sit at the table and not get up until I ate meatloaf—I’d be sitting forever.  No way are you getting me to eat meat loaf—isn’t going to happen!  Do I look more simply at getting him to try new items and take a much smaller number of bites, enough that he gets a good taste and can evaluate if he likes it or not, but not too much that it’s going to do psychological damage to him or myself for having to eat it.

I’m so tired of making two separate meals for every meal.  One full of junk and processed foods for my son as he won’t eat anything else—thank goodness for a good gene pool and he’s thankfully in the 100^th% for height and 75^th% for weight.   Two meals for every meal certainly doesn’t help my anxiety with cooking at all.  My daughter is currently a rather good eater and I really don’t want to see that change so I feel like there is this delicate fine line to walk.

I’m guessing whatever plan I come up with is really going to be for me and for me.  I’m going to have to step outside my current food box and try to find things he’ll eat and I’ve got to get a plan to get him eat a larger variety and a more nutritional balanced diet.

I could use your help!  What have you done with your picky eater?  What has worked and what hasn’t?  Any good websites or resources that helped you come up with more ideas for meal preps?

There are not very many things that I think are as a cute as a group of 3 year olds in their very first dance class.  A few stand completely still, looking around and not sure what to do.  Some timidly try to imitate what the teacher is doing.  And then are the ones whose faces shine with joy and leap about the room without a care in the world.

Just as another school year has begun, another year of dance classes has begun also.  My Facebook wall is covered with posts from other moms who are asking what dance studios are the best, what teachers are the best, what classes to put their daughters (and a few sons) in, and who has old tap shoes to sell.

This will be Lauren’s 4^th year of dance, her third at her current studio.  She absolutely loves it.  Her choice of classes this year includes tap, jazz, ballet, and two hip hop classes.  It will certainly keep us busy and at the dance studio three evenings a week.

This year is starting off a little differently for Lauren.  Instead of knowing exactly which classes she wants to take, we are trying out a few classes to see where she is most comfortable.  She is 10 right now and will turn 11 this spring.  She is in a couple classes for 8-10 year olds and a couple classes for 11-14 year olds.  In the classes for 8-10 year olds, she feels out of place because she is so much taller than the other girls.  In the classes for 11-14 year olds, she feels out of place because most of the girls are a bit older than her and in junior high.

But even though we may not know what the best fit is quite yet, I am impressed by her confidence.  She is open to trying new things and meeting new kids and does not hesitate to stand in the middle of the class in the front row.  Her love for dance outweighs any nervousness she may feel.  She has come a long way from that shy little girl that stood in the back and barely moved during her very first ballet class when she was 3 years old.  I certainly hope that the confidence she has learned in her dance classes will follow her wherever she may go in the future.

What experiences have you had with dance classes? Do your children enjoy going? At what age did you start them?

Diaper wipes.  If you have an infant you probably use them about 10 times a day (at each diaper change) and if you have a toddler like me you probably use them about 50 times a day.  As Myles has gotten older I have realized that diaper wipes aren’t just good for diaper changes!  I keep packs of them in my purse, in the car, in the bathroom, under the couch, pretty much in every room of the house.  They are great for a quick “washing” of the face (which he appreciates more than mom spit), getting boogies off fingers, and wiping up spills.

So when I was given the opportunity to try a new type of baby wipe – I jumped at the chance, especially when I found out they were a “green” option (anyone who knows me knows that this is right up my alley).

Bum Boosa Bamboo Baby Wipes are made using renewable bamboo and contain nourishing plant-based ingredients.  Aloe Vera, Calendula extract, and pure essential oils of lavender and sweet orange come together to lend their botanical intelligence long recognized in schools of natural health.  They are alcohol, paraben, and sulfate free.  As an added bonus, they are made in the U.S.A. at a facility using 100% renewable energy.  Plus, they were developed by a mom and are never tested on animals. And even more awesome – they participate in Trees for the Future, and each package purchased represents a tree planted. So hearing all this background on the wipes- I couldn’t wait for them to arrive.

My first reaction was that they were super strong smelling of lavender (they definitely don’t skip on the essential oils!)  They are thin but still very strong and absorbent; I didn’t have to use anymore wipes than I typically do when I use the thick kind I usually get fromHuggies.  I feel confident that they are a good choice for Myle’s bum and for all the other little things that I use wipes for.

I loved them so much that I shared them with Myle’s classroom at Behaven Kids and the teachers loved them just as much!

We want to thank Bum Boosa for giving Behaven Kids the opportunity to try out these products….

And lucky for you guys – Bum Boosa has offered a 3 pack of wipes for one lucky reader!  To enter, just let us know what brand of wipes you use right now.

For EXTRA entries - leave a comment below for each one you do:

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Giveaway ends 10/11/12 at 11:59 p.m. CST!

Congrats to Rachel T. this week’s winner!

Have you ever wished you could take a time out? I realize if you are a mom,  that is probably a rhetorical question…….ummm, YES! Kids have a way of beating you up and down,  wearing your patience so thin you feel like you just might snap. While I was pregnant with Owen,  someone very wise told me that it is OK to set the baby in his swing or crib (somewhere safe) and to take a few minutes to go outside and take a breather. The baby will be JUST FINE! I used this piece of advice many times,  and would like to think it saved a tiny shred of my sanity in those early years.

Now that my boys are older (5 and 4),  my mommy timeouts are a little less frequent,  but equally as important. Normally I lock myself in the bathroom with a glass of wine and my kindle (so glamorous,  I know) and read a few pages of a book until the crazyness subsides. I asked a few of my mommy facebook friends where they take their mommy time outs. The overwhelming majority said the bathroom,  as it sometimes is the only room in the house with a lock on the door. One mom even gets super locked in by pulling the drawer open to block the door,  since her daughter is old enough to figure out how to pick the lock!  Another mom seeks peace by heading outdoors for a long run, while the kiddos hang with Dad. Yet another says her 17 year old always seems to need something super important while she is trying to relax in a hot bath. Will it never end?!?

Luckily for me,  I have the opportunity to take a HUGE time out soon as I will be traveling to Mexico to see my cousin marry his awesome fiancee. If you have ever traveled without your children,  you know that it takes just as much work to prepare them for your absence as it does to prepare for the vacation itself. I have made a list of directions and reminders for the babysitters. I have prepared the kids’ clothing for each day I will be gone, down to the underwear and socks. I have prepared a couple of meals so my husband doesn’t have to worry about what to make for dinner. I’m hoping once I arrive on the warm sandy beach,  some of these worries will melt away and I can relax with family and friends. It doesn’t hurt (help?) that I will be virtually unreachable. Completely out of touch, with a cell phone that probably won’t work, a tablet that wont have Internet access,  in a foreign country no less. What’s that like!? I guess I will find out soon!

Back to the mommy time outs -

As a stay at home mom,  I don’t think we take enough time for ourselves. We plan every moment of the day for our children and rarely plan any special time for ourselves. The guilt that seeps in when I do have a night to myself slowly overtakes the joy of having a night “off”. I wonder what the kids are doing,  what they had for dinner,  if they went to bed easily,  if Aiden pooped on the potty ……etc Us moms should ban together and have scheduled time with each other (or alone!) once a month or more.

I am lucky enough to have a great group of girlfriends that I met when we were all in a community theater musical together in 2011. We try and get together every other month or so,  but the gatherings have been few and farther between. I look forward to these girl dates- they uplift my soul and I walk away smiling and full of love and joy. Imagine if each woman had a group like this……with no judgement,  full of inside jokes,  laughter, and truly caring and investing in each others lives – how fulfilled we all could be! I feel like the quality of our parenting would go way up,  as we were able to take a step out of our every day world for a few hours. We would enter our homes refreshed and ready for the next day!

Where do you take your “mommy time outs”? Do you have any advice with moms of very little ones as they embark on the parenting journey? What do you and your girlfriends like to do on girls/mommy’s nights out?

Thanks for reading,  and I look forward to hearing from you!