Our Finger Sucking Journey

Our Finger Sucking Journey

To start our journey of finger sucking I am going to start from the very beginning.  When our oldest daughter was born my husband decided NO binkies were allowed.  I didn't question this decision he has a son and I figured he knew something I didn't.   At 4 months old on the very same day I pierced my daughters ears she started sucking her 2 middle fingers.  At the time this was cute, adorable even.  This habit was her way of soothing herself. 

As with any kids or at least from my experience I didn't think too much of her habit.  At the age of 4 I started worrying that she was a little old to still have this terrible habit.  I asked her pediatrician about the habit.  Her pediatrician didn't seem to think it was a problem and kept telling me that because it was her fingers and not her thumb there wouldn't be any damage to her mouth.  She also told me that when she started school she would stop on her own.  As she started attending school the finger sucking did not stop, we worried about her getting teased or criticized.  I personally was criticized by other mom's because I have allowed it to continue.  If only it was that easy!  Those of you reading this I am sure know what I am talking about.

She is 7 now, our goal for this year was to get her to stop by her 8th birthday.  This winter was when the straw broke the camels back.  It has been a bad winter with lots of colds, flu's and allergies.  We had the same flu circle our house for about 4 weeks.  That is when I put my foot down.  I don't know if this is what really happened but it seemed like she was sharing this flu around because of the bacteria she was spreading from her fingers. 

We have tried ever trick we could find such as  making her wear a glove, fingernail polish, rewarding her, reminding her that her hand is in her mouth, putting a splint on her finger. We tried taping her 2 fingers together. We even tried getting frustrated with her. I was on the verge of asking a doctor to put a cast on her hand.


Everyone of these methods was a Big Failure
Being at the end of my rope with how to help I asked a different pediatrician (he recommended the Nasty polish) and I also got on the Internet to search any other options we hadn't tried. The NASTY fingernail polish (mivala) was the only thing we haven't tried. I started reading the reviews and was getting the feeling in your stomach of nervousness to use this. I was feeling like it was abuse. To me it was like putting her hand in poop. With that uneasy feeling I got creative and wondered if putting fake fingernails on her hands would work. I went to a salon and they said they wouldn't put acrylic fingernails on her they said she was too young. Dang it another idea gone. Then I thought what about the fingernails you put on yourself. I took her to the store and let her pick out the style of nails she wanted.  I figured if I made it look fun they we might be successful. She had so much fun picking out her nails and then spending the time to put them on. We went home and put the nails on. 

**Note**  The first nails we bought were press on nails.  We bought the nail glue as well but let me tell you from trial and error.  Don't put nail glue over the top of the press on nail glue.  If you can only find small enough nails in press on use alcohol to get the glue off first.   I did however find petite nails at Target these work perfectly for my daughter they were even short so they looked like real nails.  

As an update we put the fake nails on March 20, 2011 and here it is March 30, 2011 and she has not sucked her fingers since I put them on.

I will be honest the first night was the most difficult and heartbreaking.  She went into anxiety and kept asking me how am I going to get to sleep.  Night was always the worst for her finger sucking.  I suggested for her to rub her ear since that was also a smoother with her fingers.  I also asked if she could think of anything else that would help.  For a last resort we had a baby doll's binkie, she put this in her mouth but I think it was more of a joke.  The next morning I praised her she had successfully made it the first night. 

On a better note; I asked her at about 5 days in what she was doing at night to help her sleep.  She answered with the sweetest voice, "I prayed for help to be able to sleep."  She melted my heart.  I will continue to keep everyone updated on our success as we journey on.....by Amber a mom-stuff mom

Grandma's Hands

GANDMA’S HANDS

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn’t move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.
When I sat down beside her she didn’t acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK .



Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK.. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. “Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking,” she said in a clear voice strong.



“I didn’t mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,” I explained to her.



“Have you ever looked at your hands,” she asked. “I mean really looked at your hands?”
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.



Grandma smiled and related this story:



“Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.



“They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.



“They have been dirty, scraped and raw , swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.



They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse.
“They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand.



They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.



“These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.”



I will never look at my hands the same again. But I remember God reached out and took my grandma’s hands and led her home.



When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and husband I think of grandma. I know she has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.
I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face.

Summer Is Here!!! Now What???

Mom-Stuff.com has some great ideas to help you and your children enjoy Summer. Summer is time for picnics in the park, vacations, playing in the water, and spending time together. With our kids out of school we all wonder what are we going to do with all their free time. We have come up with some fun summer activities to beat the summer boredom. Make sure to check out our family fun section for “Schools Out! Now What? Also check out the scrapbooking section for a unique ways to scrapbook your vacation pictures. In the kids craft sections learn how to make fun crafts for summer activities for kids of all ages. Check out the recipe sections for summer fun recipes. Make sure to check out the romance section for almost free date ideas. This month’s product review “Whats for Dinner” is a unique recipe and menu book. We have also have summer activities to help children become more aware of our impact on our environment.
We are adding a full shopping cart if you have ever wanted to make money selling your hobbies, crafts or informational products check out our Making Money Online section.
It is our goal to help all moms to enjoy this wonderful time of the year. This is the season to have some fun,. Summer is a celebration of life with parades, picnics, BBQ’s, fireworks, vacations, camping, hiking, biking, swimming and all kinds of out door activity's. Get outside and enjoy this beautiful world we live in!!!

Honor Our Fathers

Mom-Stuff has published their Father’s Day site with lots of fun and economical ways to Honor the Men in our lives. Make this Father’s day an unforgettable event with homemade crafts and activities. Check out our family fun section for fun things to do on Father’s Day. Also check out the scrapbooking section for a unique father’s day scrap booking page. In the kids craft sections learn how to make homemade gifts for dad. Check out the recipe sections for dessert recipes that dad will love. Make sure to check out the romance section for relationship articles. This month’s product review is on the lasted fad of bead watches. Get your free pattern for the latest fashion of Spunky Headbands. Don’t forget to stop by and check out health and nutrition for the latest article how to be green while cleaning. Come and visit us at http://mom-stuff.com

The Price of Children

As we are approaching Mother’s Day and dealing with an unstable economy this is just too good not to pass on to all of my Mom-Stuff Friends. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. We, the Mom-Stuff Team wish all of you a very blessed Mother’s Day.

The Price Of Children

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth
To 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about
price shock! That doesn’t even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn’t so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That’s a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don’t have children if
you want to be ‘rich.’ Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how
your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets
and collect! spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in
clay for Mother’s Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get
to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
· coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs,
· coaching a baseball team that you treat to ice cream regardless of who wins the game.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first bra,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree,
and if you’re lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called
grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology,
nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no
college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.
You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the
bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and
love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without
counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren !!!!!!! They are the best investment you will make. Have a Happy Mothers Day.

www.mom-stuff.com

Mother's Day Launched

The Mom-Stuff Mother’s Day site has been launched

www.mom-stuff.com

Come and visit us at http://www.mom-stuff.com/
Its time to Honor our Mother’s. Make this Mother’s day an unforgettable event with passed down recipes, and homemade crafts. Check out our family fun section mother day tributes (it is not too late to send us your tribute, email to contact@mom-stuff.com with tribute in the subject line.) Also check out the scrapbooking section for a unique and simple mothers scrapbooking page. In the kids craft sections learn how to make inexpensive gifts mom’s will just love. Check out the recipe sections for fun recipes that have been passed down through our family and make them apart of your family. Make sure to check out the romance section for an article about how to stop controlling others by our own fears. This month’s product review is about online coupon sites. We have also added a pattern for the latest fashion of Spunky Headbands. Don’t forget to stop by and check out health and nutrition for the latest article on the 10 lies food companies use. See you at www.mom-stuff.com.
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Post a tribute to your Mother for Mother’s Day

Share your Mother’s Day Tribute on Mom-Stuff.com
With Mother’s Day approaching quickly the Mom Team wants to take time out and give tribute to the important people in our lives. Our Mothers, Grandmothers, Sisters, and anyone else you want to honor on Mother’s Day.
So many times in our lives we put aside the most important people in our lives. This is the perfect time to give thanks to all the women in our lives that make each day possible. Tell us about the important woman in your life.
Without my mother I would not be where I am today. I take for granted how important my mom is. Only after having my own children did I realize what a mother goes through just to get us here. It doesn’t stop there either. Mothers worry each day about their children and even through the night. We worry about our children breathing through the night ( I know you are laughing but yes I still worry if my 5 year old will wake up each morning). We want our children to be the best they can be. So we worry about school, are they learning everything they can. We worry about their friends and their activities. We worry about their health. We wonder what kind of person they will grow up to be. Do you think Michael Phillip’s mother ever thought when she was rocking him to sleep each night that he would be such an incredible athlete.
I guess it comes down to the fact that we as Mothers worry about our kids every second of every day for the rest of their lives. My mom has all grown children with children of their own and she today still worries about us and our decisions.
Well mom I want you to know you did a wonderful job and it is time for you to take some time and stop worrying about us for awhile and take some time for you! You deserve it, you did a wonderful job. I know I will be a good mom too because I learned from the best mom in the world.
***If you want to send a tribute to be posted on our website next month in honor of Mothers day please email us your tribute and a picture (if you have one) to contact@mom-stuff.com put in the subject line “tribute” ***

Kids Crafts

Do you love to do kids crafts with your children? We do. This year for Valentines we have given you a really cute kids craft project for valentines made with suckers. The kids will love to make these and to give them to their friends. Visit http://www.mom-stuff.com/ at click on the Valentine Kids Craft section for materials and instructions. We have found two other cute kid crafts that complement these suckers. On http://www.familyfun.com/ they have a butterfly valentine made with a piece of gum. Check out the heart suckers made from candy canes at http://www.skiptomylou.org/ These are some really fun kids crafts to do with your children for Valentines day. Enjoy crafting with your kids. I love to help develop their creativity.