What really helps with teething?

There are so many wife's tales out there about what to give your child when he/she is teething. I thought I would tell you what works for our family. For some children these work wonders and for others, nothing seems to soothe them. If you are a first time parent, hang on because this is probably one of the first tough issues that give you that helpless feeling and leave you wanting to grab at something, anything to make the pain go away.

1. Tylenol/Ibuprofen switcharoo. Normally, if you were giving one medication you would have to wait 4 hours for the next dose, but if you rotate the two you can give them in three hour increments. This way one does not lapse before the other kicks in. They also have slightly different affects so it gives your child the benefit of both....now what those are I can't quite remember.

2. Frozen Washcloths. Wet a washcloth, freeze it and give it to them to suck on. Don't forget to put another in the freezer when you take that one out.

Things I would watch out for:
- Teething rings. I know people really like these. My daughter did until one day her ring was recalled because the gel inside could be poisonous. I stay away from these now.
-Biter Biscuits, wheels- I think these are great for a little snack, but I personally don't give them when I know my baby is not hungry. Our family has food issues anyway, I don't want their first experiences with pain relief to be food.

Things other people like:
-Frozen Waffles
-Teething Tablets. Personally I think these are a joke but if they work for you, hey! Who am I to say? The reason I think they are bogus is because a friend's older child ate a whole bottle of them. When the parents called poison control, they laughed, telling the parents that there is really nothing in there anyway.

If you find something that works for you, let me know and I will add it.

The birth of a tooth

Teething. It is a dirty word at our house right now. With my daughter, I would wake up one morning and wola! A tooth had appeared overnight and not a complaint was filed. With my son, it is a totally different story. The wining never stops and he turns downright mean....if a 8 month old can be mean. Yesterday he cried most of the day. I rocked him, did the Tylenol/Ibuprofen switcharoo, I gave him frozen wash cloths, waffles, whatever I could get my hands on....no help. So finally, I had all I could take and put him in the bed. What does he do??? He lays there and coos and laughs at himself. Seriously? You have to be kidding me! Do you hate me? I start evaluating myself and the rejection that I feel already from this 8 month old. In my head I should have just laughed, but I had gotten to that unreasonable emotional state by that time.

Couponing- Getting my feet wet

I didn't even really know what a blog was until a month or so ago. Look at me now! We will see where this takes me, but I am up for the ride. I hope to use this blog to share about my journey to become a better mom, manager of my home and my quest to be as frugal as possible. I also am a theological nerd, so I am sure you will hear a few of my soap boxes from time to time.

Yesterday I went to a workshop in Athens, AL by the Thrifty Sisters. These girls were just like me and in the same stage of life with their kids, trying to save money. They gave some coupon 101 lessons to get us newbies started. I have been "couponing" for a few months now and have been able to take my grocery bill from about $150 a week down to $75. Now, when I say groceries, I mean food, toiletries, beauty products, diapers, everything. You might think it sounds pretty outrageous, but it really is simple.

The first time I ever heard of this type of thing was on Oprah. A lady stocked a church's entire food pantry from coupons and hardly used any money. I just did not understand it. How in the world could you do that? Then I came upon these sisters from po dunk Alabama who showed me the system. Wow. It has made a huge difference for me. Now, I don't have the time to look and match all these coupons up to the sales, but I don't have to. There are some websites like: Thrifty Sisters and Southern Savers that do it for you for free. All you have to do is save your Sunday paper and any other coupons you can get your hands on and follow their suggestions. It is so easy. Believe me, if I can do it anyone can.

Now...you can't be one of these picky folks who has your "have to get" brand of every item you use. There are 2 things I love to have: Viva paper towels and Pampers diapers. Other than that, I am game for anything. So this month I use Suave deodorant, next it's ladies choice. To me it doesn't matter because I got them both for free.

Soon I will try to post some examples so you can see what I am talking about. My philosophy is, this is better than a part time job for me. My husband has a good job, so if I were to work our tax bracket would change and between daycare and taxes most of the money I would be getting would be eaten up. Every dollar I save us using coupons has already been taxed and is free for us to use at will. Not to mention my time with my kids...yesterday I made my family omelets for breakfast and was able to spend the morning telling the story of Daniel and the Lion's den to my daughter for the first time. Her eyes were as big as saucers and my heart was just as full.