Mumsey responded July 29, 2008 at 7:20AM

  

You'll want to bring some oyster crackers or some other bland cracker. After tasting a few different wines, you won't know what you like unless you clean your palatte. (In other words, not only will you get a hangover if you drink the whole taste at each place depending on how much they pour, you also won't get the true taste.) All the buzz on swishing the wine around the glass? That's just so air gets into the wine and you can taste it better. If you think you like something, write it down, then come back later and taste it again to be sure. Ask if there are discounts offered on a half case (a whole case maybe too much money) or if it's less expensive at the winery. (If it's a local winery). Good wine these days shouldn't cost more than $15 if that. And even if you LOVE their labels (labels are considered artwork these days, and there are some beautiful ones), don't be swayed by the label if you don't just love that wine inside. Trust me, I made that mistake once and ended up using the wine for cooking! Most of all, have fun, don't feel intimiated (and if a winery makes you feel that way, don't buy from them!)and enjoy the time with DH!

  LatteMommy responded July 29, 2008 at 10:20AM

  LatteMommy

Thanks for the GREAT advice Mumsey! I wish I could find the Westminister Oyster crackers to bring with us. They don't sell them down here, have to stock up when we go to New England.
Glad you told me what the swishing the wine around the glass does. DH was just asking and I was dumbfounded.
The local wines around here are more expensive but are still really good. Our favorite is Steeplechase Red by Linganore Cellers. We like the Sutter Home wines too.
We are trying to drink the dark red wines for the health benefits.
I love the sweeter wines (dh calls them grape juice). Dh loves the dry wines.
We have a lot of vineyards around here. I was shocked to here how many.

  dustbunny responded July 30, 2008 at 3:00PM

  dishing the dirt, cleaning the chaos

hope you had a blast! sticky mommy & I both visited a vineyard last week too :)try flemingjenkins.com, rose. tasty!

  rohansmama responded July 29, 2008 at 6:18AM

  

But why? I can understand cutting sugar but, why wheat?

  Sticky_Mommy responded July 29, 2008 at 8:45AM

  I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

LOL - "if they are leaving things out of products .... why are they charging so much more for them? "

Right?! You have some restraint. Last night I was dipping peanut butter pretzels in chocolate frosting from a can. And for lunch put salt on my high salt frozen low fat meal. I have issues!

  LatteMommy responded July 29, 2008 at 10:23AM

  LatteMommy

multi-grain is more nutrional than wheat. wheat can trigger allergies.

  rockergirrl responded July 29, 2008 at 11:06AM

  www.findbarefootbooks.com

Most people have some type of sensitivity to wheat. Wheat sensitivities can cause a host of symptoms one might not even contribute to eating wheat. Cutting it out of your diet is one of the hardest things to do. As you mentioned the replacement products cost more money and do not taste as good. My advice is you are trying to eliminate too many things at one time. Sugar is hard enough for someone who addicted but adding the wheat thing just makes it harder on yourself. Does your family suffer from wheat allergies? I would say unless they do instead focus on the sugar and perhaps just try cutting out wheat based products but not eliminating them. Choose bread for one meal a day instead of three. Cut out cracker and other wheat based snacks. You will find that even cutting back will make a difference. We are a wheat and sugar addicted country.

  LatteMommy responded July 29, 2008 at 11:42AM

  LatteMommy

Right on rockergirl...that is what we are trying to do. I've read that cutting back on wheat and sugar and gluten and caffenine will help with sinus'. It does if you can stick with it. LOL.
Now whether this has anything to do with it or not or it's just our imagination...whatever it is....DD attitude seems to be more level when we cut out the gluten.
DH went sugar free for 2 weeks! I am so proud of him. I haven't even made it a day.
We have just cut back on wheat and gluten. That's not too tough. Especially during the summer with all the yummie veggies available. Moderation!
We have been low or no sodium for several years now.
Since sugar is so hard to do, we are choosing foods that have natural sugar and trying not to add sugar to anything.
BREAKDOWNS happen that's why we keep Moderation as our key.
We broke down and had cheeseburgers the other day and DD to our amazement chose to have a salad.

  rockergirrl responded July 29, 2008 at 11:49AM

  www.findbarefootbooks.com

That's great! What might also be happening by nature when you eliminate sugary foods you are also eliminating other culprits of behavior issues such as artificial colors, flavors and high fructose corn syrup. Getting rid of just those three things will show a world of difference in most children's behavior issues. Congrats on making the changes!

  wildmom responded July 29, 2008 at 2:23PM

  if mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy

wow - I love sugar too much to commit to canning it altogether....but 'd love to get rid of artificial everything

  rockergirrl responded July 29, 2008 at 4:46PM

  www.findbarefootbooks.com

like lattemommy said it is all about moderation. I personally feel you shouldn't ban anything or it will become too much of a temptation. We eat sugar we just don't eat it a lot. We don't buy sugary sweets or snacks, I buy low sugar cereal and dessert is certainly not a nightly event. Every couple of weeks or so now that the kids are older we have some ice cream as dessert on a Friday night. At birthday parties and special occasions we let the kids have what they want. I don't let them go overboard but I let them partake. At home though the rules are different. If you don't buy crap at home then at least you know they are eating healthy there.

  dustbunny responded July 30, 2008 at 2:57PM

  dishing the dirt, cleaning the chaos

wow! nice self control and motivated changes! I'm pretty much too lazy to try anything like that :) I'll cut sugar here and there but not really- I just had like 20 mai tais last week...all sugar!

  Sticky_Mommy responded July 22, 2008 at 11:29AM

  I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

I tell my fresh daughter I can't understand that voice and when she can talk to me nicely I will respond. For my kid it's about her being tired or getting attention/reaction, so I don't give her the attention/reaction.

Sylvie is starting pre-school this Fall too! Ditto the Bring it!

  benbaby responded July 22, 2008 at 12:41AM

  Goofing around with my babies - Big and Lil

I agree with stickymommy. Ignore and keep calm. Kids will understand the meaning of silence better.

  Mumsey responded July 22, 2008 at 12:55AM

  

I think it is just a phase. And as much as other moms like to say "just wait until she's a teenager', it's just their own fear talkin'! It's so hard not to react, tho'. I feel your pain. As for learning, does she try the kids web sites like PBS Kids, etc? Some of those have great games for colors, numbers, etc. But it is a previledge, so if it's been a wicked day, take away some time (probalby 20 minutes on the computer is plenty anyway). Just a few thoughts. Best of luck - you know your perfect little gal is in there someplace, even when possesed by Damien!

  rockergirrl responded July 22, 2008 at 3:59PM

  www.findbarefootbooks.com

Perhaps it is time to ease off on pushing the school work then. If it is causing that many battles is it worth it? Preschool should not be about pressure. She will get enough of that in school when she gets older.

  LatteMommy responded July 28, 2008 at 12:35AM

  LatteMommy

It's weird, we haven't pushed the school work on her at all. We love, encourage, guide, advise, warn and especially praise but if we try the method of push then that thick-headedness (inherited) comes through and "LOOK OUT" all heck breaks out. Sometimes she is a perfect angel and then when you tell her to do something or interrupt her fun to do something you ask of her....OH MY... someday's I'd just rather bang my head against a wall. We live in a townhouse and yesterday getting ready for Church our daughter decided to have an utter melt down with her "Daddy" this time...later in the day our neighbor said "boy she woke up cranking huh". She's got this high pitch scream that just echo's throughout. We'll need hearing aids because of it.
We are using the method of ignoring her when she is whinnying or speaking freshly and she hates that...so that's good. (we do tell her why we ignore her so she gets the point)
I'm being told by my family that this is another phase and it will get better and so drop her off at the Grandparents for a weekend so we can ALL get a break. Maybe next weekend. Think I'll call them! LOL
thanks everyone for GREAT advice.

  Sticky_Mommy responded July 22, 2008 at 11:24AM

  I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

IMO, as long as she's getting dairy it shouldn't be a problem. Is she eating yogurt? What is she drinking in her cereal?

I only give my kids 2 choices when it comes to drinks: water or milk. We don't have juice in the house. If I'm drinking soda my kid will ask for a sip, but I tell her it's a Mommy drink (just like wine LOL).

  vtmomof2 responded July 22, 2008 at 12:02AM

  Life is crazy but wonderful.

sounds like a phase. My son always liked his cereal dry, he always like to eat it like a finger food. He just recently decided he wanted milk in it. That is funny, my son is just the opposite, now he cries if I forget to put milk in his cereal because for 4 years he wouldn't touch it with milk.

  benbaby responded July 22, 2008 at 12:38AM

  Goofing around with my babies - Big and Lil

As long as she gets milk in any form its fine according to my Family Doctor. Actually when I was pregnant I had the same problem. So the doctor suggested me to have more yogurt
or icecream or some flavored milk.

  rockergirrl responded July 22, 2008 at 3:56PM

  www.findbarefootbooks.com

I personally do not feel milk is a neccesity. We are the only animal that drinks another animals milk besides our own kind. I believe in breast milk but after that it isn't needed. That said I do give my kids soy milk with their dinner but other wise like Sticky we just offer water. They are allowed a small glass of juice with their breakfast and that is that. Once you open that door it is so hard to close. I wouldn't worry about the milk strike though. Just make sure she is eating well and she will be fine.

  LatteMommy responded July 22, 2008 at 5:20PM

  LatteMommy

DD does have a very healthy diet and all organic to the best of our ability. I just find it so weird that all of a sudden it's like "NO MILK". I just hope she wasn't influenced somehow on this matter. That is my concern. She is at that absorption of everything age. Mommy and Daddy have to watch everything they say and do. She forces us to be good. She likes Soy Milk still so maybe we'll keep trying that instead of cows milk.

  Sticky_Mommy responded July 29, 2008 at 8:55AM

  I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

you know what's crazy is I noticed my dd being influenced by her peers or maybe it's just a stage where she's not interested in trying things or if something looks "yucky" she turns her nose up ...i'm sure they'll both grow out of it.

  Sticky_Mommy responded July 22, 2008 at 11:25AM

  I love my job, it gives me a break from my kids!

Sorry to hear about Bubba. That is a long time for a feeder!

  vtmomof2 responded July 22, 2008 at 12:00AM

  Life is crazy but wonderful.

I am so impressed that you had a goldfish that lived that long. We bought our son a goldfish for christmas and it lasted 3 days. My daughter had a goldfish that lasted several months. She was about 4 when it died. One day she was standing in the bedroom with her little dead fish in her hands. She insisted on flushing it herself. I thought she would be sad, but she wasn't. Hope you find a new fish that will make your daughter happy, and one that lasts just as long.

  benbaby responded July 22, 2008 at 12:31AM

  Goofing around with my babies - Big and Lil

Sorry to hear about your Goldfish. I'm really surprised though at your daughter's reaction.

  Mumsey responded July 22, 2008 at 12:48AM

  

Long Live Bubba (and Bubba 2 if that ever happens). That's not the first time a child hasn't been upset over a fish or a turtle - apparently things you can't cuddle don't make as big an impression as those you can.