Teen Criticizes Mom's Face

My teenage daughter was investigating my face yesterday.  Just what I want - a teenager who is fit and wrinkle-free criticizing me!  Apparently, my cheeks are "squishy" and I have lines on my forehead.  Do you think I told her that SHE probably put them there all these years? 

She thought the squishy cheeks were cute but that I needed the best wrinkle serum for the wrinkles.  I turn 39 in a few weeks.  It's only gonna get worse!  It's not like I am going to start aging backwards!

Do you use fat burners?

I am researching fat burners and found a review site for lipo 6 hers - a female fat burner. We all know men and women's metabolism and hormones are vastly different.  This has both a rapid release and extended release so the effects last longer. 

Has anybody used fat burners?  What do you think about them?  Did they work?  What were some of the side effects?  Would you use them again?

Hypoglycemic

Well, if I keep forgetting to eat, it'll make up for my stress eating I do in the afternoon I guess.  I forgot to eat breakfast - again.  I don't realize it until I start feeling sick (hypoglycemic).  Not exactly healthy, eh? 

My husband said that is prohibiting me from losing weight, along with my thyroid, because I'm not keeping my metabolism going.  He said I should be eating many small deals starting with breakfast. 

If I could lose the weight through my thighs, figure out how to lose the belly fat and a little weight loss through my face, I'd be happy.  The weight around the middle is the worst!  There's a "how to" at www.losebellyfathowto.com that gives reviews on supplements if you're interested.

Stress Eating

Well, relocation to another state is looking more and more likely and it's likely to happen sooner than we imagined.  In about three weeks' time, I could be packing up four kids, five dogs, and two horses and moving us to another state. 

I am seriously stressing!  How am I doing to do this all by myself?  I can see me adding another 20 pounds in stress from stress-eating over the next month!  I can do this - with or without an appetite suppressant, lol. Maybe the stress will actually burn more calories for me and make up for the extra stress eating.

Smoking Appeal

I'm a mom so I worry about my children starting to smoke young. At a festival a couple weeks ago, we saw a teenager pretending to smoke. She looked ridiculous!  I know kids think they look cool but they really don't.  I thought I looked cool too so I understand.  Then today, there was an advertisement outside of a store for cigars and they were completely wrapped in bright colors - they looked like popsicles.  At least, that is what my five-year-old daughter thought they were when she asked if we could go back and get some popsicles. 

An adult can make the choice whether they smoke or not.  They're adults.  Whatever the product - Acid cigars or any of the others, adult's choice.  I just don't like seeing kids get interested and thinking they look "cool" or putting them in pretty packages that kids like.

Helping Siblings Adjust to Baby



With the excitement of a new baby, older siblings sometimes feel left out.  It's a good idea to include them where you can, even before baby comes.  My stepdaughter reverted back to baby behavior after the birth of her brother at mom's house - wanting to be held like a baby, wanting a bottle, even though she was beyond the age for either.  So when I became pregnant with my first child, I wanted to make sure she didn't feel left out in any way.  We made her a part of decorating the nursery as well as a part of my baby shower (she even received her own present of her own baby doll with car seat at the shower and helped me open presents).  We took lots of pictures and gave her a photo album.  She didn't display any baby-like or attention-getting behavior after the birth of her younger sibling.

With the birth of each of my children, we made sure the older siblings all had "big brother" or "big sister" shirts.  You can even get personalized baby stuff and put their name on that "big brother" shirt!

Keeping the older siblings a part of it all seemed to really help the kids adjust well to a new sibling in the house.  We definitely saw the difference with my stepdaughter when my husband and I had our first child together so we made sure to do that with each subsequent child too.

Putting Weight on a Child

My nine-year-old needs to gain weight.  Doctor's orders.  She's a stick.  I was a stick as a child and her dad is one now so I'm not surprised, but the pediatrician wants her to gain some weight.  She mentioned butters, oils, whole milk.  Really?  Just load on the fat?  Sounds healthy!  Not.

I tried a carnation drink in the morning but she doesn't like them all that much.  I'm going to have to let loose on the bucks and get some PediaSure or something.  She says she likes the "ones with the bear."  That's PediaSure.  They're also not cheap.  Did you know that sometimes you can contact the manufacturer of a product for coupons or samples?  I've done that before.  I don't think I'll get away with asking for samples for, say, the next four months worth?  I didn't think so either.

Getting Rid of the Baby Urge

How do you get rid of that "baby urge" without having another baby?  Does anybody know?

I figured that I'd just hold babies and it'd take care of it.  When they started crying, I'd give them back.  Sounds great to this mom of four and stepmom to two more. 

It doesn't work.  Not that the idea in particular doesn't work but I can't find any babies to hold!!  Where are all the babies when you want them?  They are always in restaurants when you have a headache, yelling at the top of their little lungs, so why can't I find them when I need a baby cuddle?