We Did It!

I can't believe it! After 7+ years of trying, my son has stopped sucking his thumb. Not only that, but my daughter stopped sucking her fingers too! It was a little more difficult with my daughter, since she switched to each thumb after stopping her fingers, but we managed to stop all sucking!

How did we do it? Band-aids. We spent 2 weeks in band-aids. My daughter had 4 on and my son just had one, but they were on all day and all night for 2 weeks straight. I think the constant part was my problem before when I tried them. Before we would take them off in the morning and when I caught them I would put another one on. This time as soon as they got up, they took them off to eat, washed up and immediately put another band-aid on. There was no opportunity for them to suck at all.

It's been a week since we stopped putting on band-aids and there is no sign of sucking. I've checked when they've gone to bed and there has been no secret sucking going on. I can't begin to tell you how relieved I am! My daughter's fingers have started healing from the teeth indentations and my son's thumb nail is growing properly again. Can you see me dancing my happy dance from where you are? On second thought, maybe you don't want to see me dancing!

Summertime Fun!

It's been a few weeks since I posted but I have a good reason! Kid #1 is out here for 6 weeks from California and we've been having a fun time. We've baked cakes, decorated a float & walked in a parade, went to a carnival and saw fireworks, gone to the park with friends and have participated in the summer reading club at the library. Needless to say, we have been busy! Check our family blog for more pictures and stories of our vacation together! Here are a few pics.

We Moved In!

We actually did it. We moved into our front room! Well, I should say "back into" since we've only been out of it for just over 8 months. But that doesn't spoil my excitement at moving back into our new room. In fact, I'm sitting here on my laptop, on my couch, in my front room! Some how, my couch even feels more comfortable in here. I know that's not possible, maybe it's just the relief to not be crammed into one little room. I can breathe!

So here's the good part for you! I've got pictures! Here's the cause behind this madness. Take a look at our new curtains!

Aren't they beautiful! They are a gold and cream color which ties in the sand color of the ceiling and the percale of the trim (not in yet).

The above 2 pictures are a before and after shot. Mind you, the first is in daylight and the other is evening, but I wanted you to get a basic idea. This will be the sitting room, but for a little while it will serve as our dining room as well. I'll explain that at the bottom in another picture. Obviously we need to reupholster our wing back chairs. They looked good with the peach flowers in the wallpaper, but they don't look so good with the red paint.

Here are the before and after photos of the family room side of the front room. A few big things on this side: #1 - the doorway to the kitchen was moved to the left by about 3 feet. It now lines up with the basement stairs which will make getting things up and down the steps easier. #2 - We added a fireplace. It may be just an electric one, but it doesn't look cheesy at all. There will also be built-in bookshelves that will flank the fireplace. We are still deciding on tile that will go around the fireplace, but until we pick them, the primer is still showing. #3 - That tv isn't staying in this room. As soon as all the tools in the basement are picked up and the basement given a good cleaning, that tv is moving down there to make our media room. We have a flat screen in our bedroom that will go on the wall where that big tv is in the picture. There is a hole in the wall behind that tv so all the cables will be hidden. There is also a hole above the fireplace so if we ever want to put the tv up there, the cables can be hidden as well. Additionally we think we need a new couch cover or better yet a new couch for in here.

So here's the explanation on the dining room table. The above picture was taken where the french doors are. The floor on the left is the newly refinished floor, the floor on the right is what the floor looked like previously and what the floor looks like in our dining room. Once we opened the french doors and saw this, we decided immediately to refinish the other floor while we still have the sander. Once that floor is finished we will move the dining room table into that room and the we will have our formal sitting room.

I hope you like the pictures of the renovation, I sure like sitting here on my comfy couch!

Calling All Moms - Again!

Hello to all the wise mom's out there! Once again I am calling upon your help. This isn't a terrible life-threatening issue, it's just a nuisance. My kids are suckers.

My 8 year-old son has sucked his thumb since he was born. My 5 year-old daughter sucks her middle & ring fingers on her right hand. She sucks and bites and has indentations from her teeth on her fingers that I think might not ever go away.

We've tried rewarding them when they don't suck. We've tried ignoring it. We've put on gloves, band-aids, soaked fingers in lemon juice, even one episode of Tabasco sauce in which my son said it tasted good. Nothing has worked to make them stop sucking. We've been told that other kids pointing it out to them would make them stop. Well, that hasn't worked either. We've caught them on video and in pictures and it doesn't phase them when they see it.

We read in a friend's blog today that her 4 year-old has stopped sucking her thumb. My kids were excited to hear that she stopped, but haven't made any effort to stop themselves. I really want them to stop. My son is starting to have dental problems because of it.

So what has worked for you? Please leave me a message letting me know what you have done to help your kids stop sucking. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!