Funny Kid Products

I was forwarded a fun post. Pregnantly Plump sent me the link to a blog (http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/) that had posted a fun list of "The Worst Baby Products Ever."

So I decided, when I saw all of these items - I liked some of them - REALLY!

So ... in true On The Flipside fashion, I am going to give my opinion as to why I DO LIKE these items!

This one is called "The Daddle" - a saddle for daddy. For one - I think this is a cute name and I think any product that involves daddy playing with the kids is a GOOD PRODUCT!

I'm not sure of the actual name for this product, but ... I am so OKAY with these "leash" products. I don't care if it does make it look like you are walking a "dog" - if it helps keep track of a kid in a crowded store - it's a GOOD PRODUCT!

Now ... this product is meant to be used to help a mom out in a public restroom or anywhere or anytime she needs to keep the child in one place - where she can keep an eye on him - so she can GO PEE or whatever. I would be a lot happier hanging my kid on the side of a bathroom stall than I would be having that child crawl around on the nasty public bathroom floor. This product does seem a bit odd - but it does seem as though it might work and I think it is a pretty GOOD PRODUCT!

These "hands" are called "The Zaky Infant Pillows". They look creepy - they do. But ... I kind of like the idea that they hold a baby on it's side to sleep (helps avoid their head flattening from sleeping on their back too much) and it makes the baby think that someone is touching him. There can't be much wrong with a product that emulates touching or holding - right? I think these hands need to be in more pleasant fabrics, though - like pink or pastels. I like these hands - I think this is a GOOD PRODUCT!

Okay ... maybe the "redneck" in me is coming out, but I can't help but love these Buck-Toothed Pacifiers! What is not to love about how totally cute this baby looks. I'd rather see them on YOUR baby than any of mine, but I still think this is a GOOD PRODUCT!

This Cheese Burger costume is too cute. I don't see anything wrong with this precious costume, other than putting the baby on the couch like this and walking away, as it is sort of like turning a turtle on its back - he's stuck! I do like this cute costume and would love to see a whole family of kids dressed as a cheese burger, fries, apple pie and milk shake. I think this is a GOOD PRODUCT!

Now ... I have tried to like this product - but I just don't. I don't see any reason to put tattoos (and I'm not opposed to tattoos) on a baby. I have to say that I don't really like this product - NOPE!

Now, there are lots of people that probably won't like these little high-heeled shoes for babies - but ... I LOVE THEM! They are a bit crazy, but I think they are darling. I wouldn't put them on my little darling for just any 'ol occasion, but for those special events - they are precious! I think these little shoes are a GOOD PRODUCT!

This product is called "The Po-Knee" and I think the name is very creative. I also love this product. I have seen a child bounced on many a knee and this is not only more comfortable for the baby, but also the daddy and it makes the play more fun. I think this product is adorable and I think it is a GOOD PRODUCT!

This product is a "Baby Mop". As cute as this baby is in this stringy outfit - it is not the baby's job to do any sort of mopping and ... imagine the filth that would collect on that mop! I wouldn't want my baby "wearing" a dirty mop-looking outfit. I do not like this product - NOPE!

I'm anxious to see if you like these products or if you are On The Flipside and think they are the worst products ever.

Please make sure you follow the comment rules when leaving a comment and be considerate in your opinions and nice to other commenters.

How Young Is Too Young?

Our first On The Flipside GUEST BLOGGER!


My good friend, Toni, over at The Tale Of Two Kiddies was so generous to allow a recent post she published on her blog to be today's topic and story. I think this issue and post was a great topic/question for On The Flipside and appreciate Toni posting her story here. Thanks, Toni!

Please support Toni by reading/commenting on this interesting post and visiting her great site.

How Young Is Too Young?

There is a situation in my neighborhood that is causing me some alarm- not a great amount of alarm but enough that I find it somewhat troubling so I am turning to the smartest ladies I know to see if I am being a little too....well, too Toni.

My neighbors have three children: an 8 year old (Rachel), a 4 year old (Caleb) and a 20 month old (Sadie). Rachel and Claire are good buddies. Rachel lives with her dad and step mom and Caleb and Sadie are their children. Capisce?

Well, the dad, who I'll call Steve, is a nut about his yard. I mean, a crazy man. He mows several times a week and doesn't like for the kids to play in any area that is not outfitted with play equipment because it smushes the grass. (Honestly. This is not a lie.)

Steve's wife, Amy, a hair stylist, works every other Saturday, thus leaving the kids alone with Steve. This is where Steve's lawn obsession becomes my problem. Steve mows while leaving the 8 year old in charge of the 4 year old and, worse, toddler Sadie. Now, as a SAHM, I get that sometimes things need to be done and when you have an older, more responsible child, they can really fill a void. There are many, many occasions where Claire has to step up and help with Liam. I get that.

She distracts him while I pee. She takes him to the basement while I make dinner (remember I am not a cook so this is usually a microwave warm up of leftovers) but never is she in charge of him for any more than a short while. I just don't see this as her job or responsibility and she is only 8!

A few weeks ago, Steve mowed (twice, as is protocol and takes about 2 1/2 hours) and then cleaned gutters, power washed the house and sprayed weed killer on every weed lining the street in our neighborhood (again, not a lie.) and this took a total of about 6 hours. I know this because we were outside the majority of that time.

While Steve was doing all this, Rachel watched, changed, fed and entertained Sadie. Claire and a couple other neighborhood girls played for a while but, once I realized Rachel was the one in charge, I insisted Claire return home. Rachel eventually had to take Sadie inside the house as it was really hot and the baby was cranky; a neighborhood girl accompanied her. I felt uneasy about this girl going inside alone with Sadie and Rachel because I am good friends with her mom and it made me uncomfortable to think of two 8 year olds watching a young toddler. I chose to butt out.

Well, of course, Sadie got into markers and marked all over herself and a wall. When Steve learned of this, he freaked. He screamed (according to the other girl in the house) at both 8 year olds and grounded Rachel from the computer (where she and her friend were playing and NOT watching the tot) for life! and made her clean the mess.

So, now I don't know how to handle this. I don't want to cause trouble but I am uncomfortable with letting Claire play at their home when the mom is out. I feel that Rachel has way too much responsibility at too young an age. Am I completely overreacting by making the rule that Claire may not, under any circumstance, be alone inside with Rachel and Sadie?

Is this just me being irrational and over the top, or not? At what age is it appropriate for an older sibling to watch a little one? I babysat at 11 but I was a strangely mature 11. What do you think?

Originally Posted by Toni - The Tale Of Two Kiddies at 8:45 PM
Labels: crazies, neighbors, parenting


How do you feel on this subject? Are you with Toni, and this situation bothers you or ... are you On The Flipside? What is an appropriate age? How Young Is Too Young?


Give your most honest opinion - whether you agree or have a FLIPSIDE view. But, please make sure you follow the comment rules and be nice to Toni and to other commenter's. And please go over to my sidebar and
answer the poll question on this topic.

Results of poll: 19 people voted - 100% felt An 8 Year Old Is Too Young To Babysit

WHAT WOULD YOU DO - WEDNESDAYS

On Wednesdays, I am going to throw out a question that asks, "What Would You Do If ...?" and I would love to hear - what you would do.

It might be a question about kids. It might be a question about marriage. It might be a question about ethics or morals. But ... hopefully it will be fun to see what everyone will have to say and I'm sure ... there will often be many Flipside views.

I will not give my answer to the What Would You Do - Wednesday question until late in the day - after everyone has had the opportunity to offer their ideas first.

*****************************************

Today's What Would You Do - Wednesday question is:

What would you do if you found out your husband was cheating on you?

Would you - Kick him to the curb?

Would you - Confront him and try to work things out?

Would you - Ignore that it happened and hope that the problem goes away?

What would you do?

Edited to add my answer - 7/30/08 @5:26 p.m.

Early in my marriage, I would have quickly said, "Kick him to the curb," and it wasn't that I loved my husband less - it was that I had not yet lived much of my life yet (I was 22 when I got married) and I thought that it would be his loss for making such a stupid decision - I don't need that - adios!

But ... I don't see things the same way I saw them when I was 22.

I've been married to a wonderful man for nearly 25 years and I have to say that I am surprised he hasn't cheated on me yet - really! I think there has realistically been many opportunities and many times I could have been "blamed" for his straying - cheating. But ... he never has and if he were to cheat now - after all of these years - I would have to say that it would hurt me tremendously - scare me - make me angry and humiliate me, but ... I would hope that the situation would allow for us to work through it.

Some of the worst dreams I have ever had, were when I have dreamt that my husband has found someone else and in the dream he has made his decision to the point that I can't persuade him - no matter what - to come back to me. I have had this dream many times and I think it means that my greatest fear is that he would leave me and never look back. It is something I've never had to worry about, thus far - but ... it would be horrible. I love him very much!

I hope none of us ever have to decide what we would do in this situation and for anyone who has experienced this sort of trauma or heartbreak - I am sorry - truly!

So ... Does This Mean We Don't Have To Have The Babies Anymore?

What do you think when you hear the stories on TV about the "Pregnant Man?"


You've heard about him - right? He was on Oprah - he's EVERYWHERE! And ... he's had the baby!


Please give me your honest opinion on this story. And then... later on today, I will tell you what I think.


I'm anxious to see if you have my similar point of view or if you are On The Flipside.

Please make sure you follow the comment rules when leaving a comment and be considerate in your opinions and nice to other commenters. And, please go over in the sidebar and answer the poll question on this subject.

Edited to insert my opinion on this subject (July 29, 2008 - 5:34 p.m.)

Okay ... So there were 27 people that took the poll and 24 (88%) say that this story "Makes Them Crazy", 2 (7%) people "Love This Story" and 1 (3%) "Have Never Heard Of This Man".

And ... now that I have some of your points of view ... I just want to say - most of us agree that ...

THIS STORY ABOUT THE PREGNANT MAN ... MAKES US CRAZY!

Every time I hear about this man - this ... woman that looks like a man - I want to scream!

Mostly, it's the way the media portrays this story - that MAKES ME CRAZY! How they keep referring to HIM as the ... "THE PREGNANT MAN". And ... there he is on TV and in magazines - looking very much like a MAN that is pregnant. And then ... there he is in People Magazine with the new baby.

I'm not okay with all of this.

There's nothing I can do about it, but ... it BUGS ME!

Every time I hear this story fixing to come on the news or on a talk show - I race around trying to find the remote to FLIP the channel. I can't stand to watch it!

I wish this couple well - I do. The baby is precious and I hope it continues to be healthy and I hope they all live happily every after - I DO! It just BUGS ME that they refer to him as "The Pregnant Man" and ... he is portraying himself as - a PREGNANT MAN!

Apparently, he's 1/2 man (on the outside) and 1/2 woman (obviously has a uterus). Maybe I'd be happier if they called him that. Maybe ... "The Pregnant Hermaphrodite".

I guess that just sounds weird (and disrespectful) and confusing.

I know it is probably not politically correct to say negative things about this man and his pregnancy - but - COME ON! S/He is obviously still a woman that looks like a man?

I understand that he was going through gender re-identification ---- taking drugs to change his appearance from female to male - but, he hadn't had any surgery to change his hoo-ha or his insides. Aside from his outwardly appearance (facial hair, lack of breasts, masculine features, etc.) - He is still a WOMAN that looks like a man - that was pregnant!

I think I heard that the woman in this couple was not able to conceive and since he hadn't had any surgeries yet to change his gender that he was still able to have children and so that is why he got pregnant. I get all that and I think that was their choice and I might very well have done the same thing if I had wanted a child so badly and this was the choice at hand. I am just VERY UNCOMFORTABLE with the images of his pregnancy and VERY UNCOMFORTABLE that it is all over the media.

It's NOT NORMAL! And ...unless we as a society strive for a sense of normalcy in our lives - in our world - there will only always be chaos and craziness. I don't want my kids growing up in a nation - in a world - that is chaotic and crazy. I want them to understand that there are things and people that are "outside the norm" and respect those things and people - be tolerant of all of it - I DO! I just don't want the "norm" to be skewed by bizarre stories like this, to the point that we see it on TV or in magazines and it becomes commonplace. It's not COMMON and it's not a MAN having a baby! It's a woman that looks like a man - having a baby and I don't think it is a story that needs to be plastered all over the place for my children to have to see and question. I can't hardly explain it and barely understand it - how will they? I'm not saying that this couple - this man - should stay hidden --- I just would like it to be reported (if it HAS to be reported) as it really is and not spun out of control.

I feel bad for this woman that was born with these gender identity issues. I have got to believe that there are some biological things that go wrong that cause some people to feel like they are trapped in the wrong gender body. I would not wish this sort of turmoil on anyone - it has got to be VERY HARD!

I also think that this couple has every right to have a child of their own and if S/He was able to become pregnant and have this baby - then that doesn't bother me. It's how S/He put himself out in the public and the media spun this story CRAZY!

I Like To Think Of It As - Negotiating

Is bribery, when used to discipline children - Okay?


Probably not!


I'm pretty sure that bribery is not mentioned as an appropriate technique to discipline children ... in any Good Parenting books or magazines.


I DON'T CARE!


I have been known to use bribery - MANY, MANY TIMES, over the course of the past 16 years in the raising of my kids.


I have!


"If you be really good at Aunt Ruth's house - I'll get you some candy."

"If you and your brother go all day without fighting - I'll pay each of you $5.00."

"If you go tinkle on the potty - I'll get you some candy."


I've used candy A LOT over the years!


I'm not against bribery.


Kids eventually KNOW you are bribing them - eventually, they get it! And ... they play you.


But ... I still use it.


I try different tactics.


Like ...


"Every time you scream at your brother, I am going to go into your room and take one of your toys."


That day - I had a pile of Alexis' toys in my bedroom that would have filled a pretty large toy box. Guess who had to put all those toys back - ME. I don't use this one much. As long as there are still toys left in their room - they are happy! They assume you couldn't possibly take all of their toys. This one doesn't work so well, unless you resort to taking IPODs or X-Boxes - which I HAVE DONE!


I have found that bribery works about 1/2 the time.


Any tool that has a success rate of 50% is a GOOD TOOL - in my book. That means I've got a 50/5o shot of getting the result I want.


I'm okay with that.


I guess people could argue that you shouldn't teach your children that they can get something through bribery, and you know what - they'd be right. I don't ever want to see any of my kids using bribery with one of their friends to get something they want.


I prefer to think of it as ... negotiating.


Alexis says, "I'll play on the trampoline with you if you swim with me after."


Yes - I prefer thinking of it as NEGOTIATING!


This is one tool that works often enough to ... keep it in my arsenal - whether you call it bribery or not.


This is JUST how I raise my children - what do you think? Do you use bribery when it comes to disciplining your kids or ... are you On The Flipside?

Give me your most honest opinion - whether you agree with me or have a FLIPSIDE view. But, please make sure you follow the comment rules and be nice to me and other commenter's. And please go over to my sidebar and answer the survey question on this topic.

Edited: Poll results - 21 took poll. 9 (39%) Yes. 14 (60%) Sometimes. 0 voted No.

WELCOME!

Welcome to On The Flipside - Where we are all great moms and fabulous women with different points of view!

I am anxious to get started and should have this blog up and running on Monday, July 28 (after Alexis' Birthday) with my first post.

For now, this is how the blog will look, but ... I have asked Lindsay over at SPLAT Creative Designs to design a great new template for On The Flipside and I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

Also, I want to emphasize that this is a FRIENDLY blog - just like On The Upside. While there might be subjects that people feel strongly about - it is not my intent to create any sort of battling between myself and other bloggers or hurt feelings amongst my friends. My intent is to simply throw out subjects that I do not often discuss at On The Upside and also that are not often discussed openly on "Mommy Blogs". A blog where people should feel FREE to offer their opinion - no matter what it is - but, do it in a GROWN-UP manner, without lecturing or preaching or picking on others!

I know ALL the women that I associate with are perfectly capable of discussing and offering their opinions without being mean or hurtful. I do, however, realize that there might be those "trolls" that will wander by our FRIENDLY site and try to cause CRAP. I have every intent of letting everyone's opinion be heard, but I will be the judge of whether the comment/opinion is appropriate or inappropriate and if it is not welcome here - I WILL DELETE IT or go back to the commenter and request that they come back to On The Flipside to EDIT their own comment or offer a follow-up comment to clarify what they were trying to say. I don't want people to ever feel the need to sensor their comments - but ... I do want bloggers to ALWAYS be respectful of each other!

Honestly ... there might be a subject every now and then that riles people up and might cause some pretty heated opinions, but ... most of the subjects are not likely to be that CRAZY! We're talking about Moms and Women here - not politics or religion (while we might touch on some issues of religion) or sex (while we might touch occasionally on issues of sex).

Also ... you might have noticed in my profile that I have another blog On The Darkside - Come On Over ... We Have Cookies (thanks to JoAnna at Bugs In My Teeth) sitting on my back burner. Yes - I may very well be starting that blog soon, too - but not for a couple of months. There are a few other blog ideas I also have - so keep an eye out for those in the future.

I know people wonder how I plan to keep up with 2 or more blogs. I've had several comments asking just this question, already. I honestly don't know if I will be able to keep up, but I am determined to try, as I really WANT them to work and be FUN and INTERESTING and blogs where people enjoy visiting and reading.

I hope you enjoy On The Flipside. I hope to see you often and can't wait to hear your point of view!

PS - YES - I'd love suggestions for topics!!!

I'm Starting Another Blog

Different than On The Upside .

I, of course, will continue to blog at On The Upside - I'd never give up my stories or that blog that I love so much - this is just an idea for another blog that I have and I am going to give it a go - SOON!

I haven't worked out all the details, but just as soon as I have it all figured out, I will have this blog up and running (hopefully by the end of July) and I hope you will come back to visit!