R.I.P. Jan Berenstain

Jan Berenstain, beloved co-author and co-illustrator of The Berenstain Bears books, passed away on Friday. For many young readers, the books Jan wrote and illustrated with her husband Stan opened up our worlds. We were introduced to a lovely family of bears who lived in a tree house. I remember dreaming about living in their tree house.

It seems only appropriate that last night when Claire couldn't get to sleep that we turned on the TV and watched the Berenstain Bears. She seemed to like it just as much as I did then.

Raising Organized Kids

On a chilly fall afternoon, Claire and I walked into the house. She had her coat; I had my coat and purse. As she took off her coat, I asked if she could hand it to me.

"Nooo," she said in the drawn out whining way that's mostly cute but a little annoying.

Then she did what I thought was the most amazing thing. She walked to the coat tree and tried to hang up her coat. I was equally amazed and proud.

If I had a child-sized coat tree,

I wouldn't have this problem.

Coat tree found here.

That event got me thinking about how to raise an organized kid. Obviously, modeling good behavior is a start, but it isn't enough to build a strong foundation.

• Making it easier to be organized is a good start. Claire knows she's supposed to hang up her coat, but without a hook low enough, she can't do it.
• Making rules regarding toys will limit that big mess. Limit how many toys your kids have and clean them out routinely. Only allow them to play with one thing at a time and teach them to put it away before moving on to another toy.
• Establish a good daily routine. Good sleep and a full belly will help your little one remember what to do. 
• Have your kids do routine chores that can teach them why it's good to be organized. They might also be less likely to make a mess if they know they'll have to clean it up. 
• Get kids involved with the process of organizing and organize the things they use in their own way. 

Claire's continuing to learn how to clean up and keep things organized. She has a lot to learn, but we'll work on it together.

Do you have any tips for raising organized kids?

On Wednesday I'll post some organizers kids will love to use.  

Things I Said I'd Never Do

Like most women pregnant for the first time, I knew I'd never do certain things. Like most first time moms, I've given in. One of those things I'd never do that I ended up doing was sleep training or cry it out.

I like to refer to it as sleep training; maybe that's me trying to make myself feel better or it just seems like a better explanation. Either way, after research, thought and discussion, Nick and I decided to give it a try with a few rules. We set a 20 minute crying limit, decided to only try it for a week and get her if the screaming became too horrible. 

Claire cried for just under 20 minutes the first night. I found that keeping busy really helped distract me from her crying. I finished washing the dishes and picked up the kitchen. By the time I was done, she was sleeping soundly. Over the next two nights sleep training went well, and Claire began to cry less. By night four, Claire was practically sleep trained.

Now, almost four months later, she's ready for bed by her bedtime and sleeps through the night. Starting at 8:00, I begin the countdown by telling Claire how many minutes she has until bedtime. Usually, right at 8:30 she walks up to me and puts her head down on my lap. When I ask her if she's ready to go to bed, she looks at me with the cutest, most earnest look and nods her head.

Sleep training worked for us, but it doesn't mean it will work for every kiddo, so do your research!

Moving On

The decision to move wasn't an easy one to make. Sure, there are really good reasons for us to move--family, quality of life, career prospects, and more--but moving our family required more consideration than that. It required that we consider the advantages and disadvantages of moving our daughter.

Even though she'll be under two when we move, I believe it's important to consider the impact this move will have upon her. I know that leaving her daycare, home and family will be difficult, but here's how I've considered each of those:

1. Daycare- Claire loves her daycare and her provider. I'm even going to be sad when we have to say goodbye, but Claire is very outgoing and adjusts to new things well. I think she'll enjoy making new friends. 
2. Home- Claire really won't remember this home. I don't feel sad about leaving it even thought it's the home we brought her home to. I may tear up a little as we leave, but I don't think Claire will really know the difference. To help her adjust to her new space, her room will be the last packed and loaded onto the truck and the first unloaded and unpacked when we arrive. 
3. Family- We are taking her away from Nick's family here, but we don't have a solid relationship with them. In fact, my older brother who lives nine hours away has seen Claire about as much as my in laws who live 15 minutes away. (As a side note, after having a child I realized I couldn't live somewhere without family, so that's played into our decision.)

So, there are a few of my thoughts on moving.