fuffernut

My 4 1/2 year old daughter can not make a single decision for herself these days. She wants me to decide everything for her, from what color she should paint her picture, to what game she should play on the computer, to what she wears. It's driving me nuts, especially since she used to be so headstrong... :)

My instinct tells me that this is because she's getting older, realizing that she's more and more independent, and it's freaking her out a bit - that's fine, but I just wanted to know if this was normal, and how long it usually lasts - and what I should do. Is it better to embrace it and decide for her, or 'force' her to make her own decisions? I always encourage her to choose for herself but usually end up deciding for her when she falls to the ground in tears begging me to decide for her "just one more time.............."

I'm going to transition my 2 year old into the 'big girl bed' this week, and I'm planning on having her then share a room with her 4 year old sister. Our rooms are fairly small so the only way to really make it work is with bunk beds.

For those of you who have them, how long does it take before the kids get used to them, and the novelty wears off? Do they just screw around all night playing on them? How many injuries do they get, and how serious are they? Any tips or advice on how to make the transition smooth and quick?

Thank all! :)

My ultimate goal is to have more energy, and to be healthier overall. I do very little exercise now, and I'm going to try to make use of our local rec center three mornings a week. Losing weight would be great too, but not essential... so would swimming or the elliptical machine be better for me?

I only know how to do the single cast-on method, but it doesn't look very professional to me. In your opinion, what's the best looking cast on method for the bottoms of sweaters?

I work part time, and on the days I work, when I'm scrambling to get dinner put together and on the table, my 22 month old is a nightmare. My 4 year old is old enough to understand "wait, it's coming" and to entertain herself with a coloring page or a TV show, but the younger one is usually crying the whole time, which I get - she's missing me, she's tired, and she's hungry. So if I give her a small snack and a cup of milk, that may keep her quiet for a time, but then the appetite is shot for dinner. On the other hand, I can't effectively make anything with her on my leg crying. I'm afraid I'm going to step on or burn her.

So - what do you guys do? Is this simply something I'm going to have to deal with until she's a little older to be more patient? Do I lock her in her room for 1/2 hour until dinner is ready? Help! :)

I realize I'm quite literally at the 11th hour, as I still need three auditing credits and I need to take the ethics exam, but can anyone tell me if I could still get credit for passing the exam in November 2003? I heard recently that if you don't get licensed in 5 years you have to take the exam again. I want to avoid that if at all possible. Does anyone know for sure? Thanks!

how long this phase lasts? My 20 month old daughter has started fighting bedtime and pitching major fits, sometimes crying for a long time before falling asleep. I know why - starting separation anxiety issues, more vivid dreams that may freak her out, etc. - my oldest went through this too and I know it's normal. I just can't remember how long it usually lasts before the crying and night waking stop again. Can someone refresh my memory? Thanks!

I'd like to make a "doll cake" for my daughter's birthday, but I only have the one quart batter bowl, and the recipe I found online calls for the two quart. I'm sure I can still make a cake in the one quart, it'll just be smaller (duh...) - but my questions are:

1. Do I still bake it at 325 degrees, and for how long?

2. How full do I fill the batter bowl? 1/2, 2/3, etc. - since a whole box of cake mix will probably be too much.

Thanks so much!

I'd like to decorate my daughter's birthday cake with fondant, but I've never used it before. I bought a package of four different colors from Michaels, and I'm wondering if I'm supposed to put it OVER the frosting, or if this is used instead of the frosting. (Does it even taste good?) Thanks!

What exactly is it? I think I can understand all of it except one part... "D-d-d-d-d-dora.... (repeat a million times), dora dora dora the explorer...."

Then - is it "Boots is super cool like Dora Dora" OR "Boots and super cool is Dora Dora" which doesn't make sense, but I swear that's what they're saying on the Dora Sit N Spin my kids have.

I think I can understand the rest of it..... "Grab your backpack - let's go - jump in - vaminos! You can lead the way... HEY HEY"

Could someone clarify? It's driving me nuts.... I must know.... :)

I've got two girls, about 2 years apart in age, each in their own room now. We're debating putting them together when the little one moves from crib to bed, leaving the other room for a spare/playroom.

I can see now more pros than cons, but I'm worried about a few things - will this make them hate eachother rather than closer, since they won't have their own space? What happens when one is sick or screams out from a nightmare?

I'd like opinions and advice please! :)

I know this isn't a question, but I found this article online about how to effectively use time outs, and I know that's a question on here a lot - so I thought I'd post it. Very good reading!

http://www.slate.com/id/2194331/?GT1=38001

I'm a fairly good knitter (intermediate, I'd say) but I only know how to knit English style (where I hold the yarn in my right hand and wrap it around). When I knit for hours and hours, my arm gets quite tired from the exaggerated movement, and I'd love to learn to knit Continental style. I've looked at some websites, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it. It just feels unnatural to me!

Can anyone recommend good websites, books, videos, etc. - or does anyone have any tips on how to do this? Thanks!

It's already started..... my almost 4 year old has made friends with the almost 7 year old next door, and they're already asking to ride bikes (trikes, in my daughter's case) around the block by themselves, go from backyard to backyard, etc... and she's only 3! We live on a relatively safe street traffic wise, and she's a smart kid, but she's too young still in my opinion. I've talked to her about "stranger danger" but I honestly don't know how much really makes sense at this age.

So... my question is, and I know it has a lot to do with the neighborhood, the friends, and the maturity of your child, but how old were your kids before you'd let them play out front in the neighborhood on their own?

My almost 4 year old has started back talking, getting slightly disrespectful and sassy. So far it's relatively minor ("I said my answer was no." "Well I said the answer is yes!"...). I know this is to be expected, I'm just wondering what you do when your toddler talks back. I hate to just ignore it, because to me that makes her think that she can get away with it. I got so mad this afternoon, I told her if she talked back again that day, she'd spend the rest of the day in her room... fortunately I didn't have to see if I'd actually follow through with it....

Anyway, how do you handle back talking? Thanks!

So my 3 1/2 year old is starting an AWFUL habit of having to go first at all times (she has a 17 month old little sister). It's ridiculous - but I'm also fairly certain that it's normal. Tomorrow I'm going to make a "First" chart, and have them alternate - where one day the older one gets to go first all the time, then the next day the younger one, etc.

For those of you who have gone through this phase, what have you done to minimize it? When (if ever) does it go away?

For those of you who have used a technique similar to my chart idea, does it work? Anything else I could/should try?

Thanks!

My two kids, almost 4 and 17 months, aren't the world's pickiest eaters, but they're close. And they never used to be! It's like all of a sudden, in the last month, they've both just totally stopped eating. I offer healthy foods (and occasional snacks) - breakfast is always a good meal, but you can forget lunch or dinner. They don't ever want what I offer.... and if I cave and make them something they request (well, the older one) she still doesn't eat it. The amount of food they actually consume couldn't keep a bird alive. Do your kids actually EAT? How do you get them to????????????????

Apparently I'm out of touch, I have no idea what this is or why it's bad. Could someone inform me? Thanks!

I just heard that they've possibly linked Singulair with behavior problems in kids... my daughter is 3 1/2 and she's been on it for maybe 5 months, and so far I haven't noticed any negative side effects at all, but now I'm nervous. Just wondering if any parents out there have kids on Singulair who have noticed bad side effects. If so, are you going to take your kids off of it?