Nice how to! I can’t wait till my wife and I have kids! Someday! We have a dog now and people say it is a good test! I submitted a how-to also. Check it out if you want to… How to keep your relationship healthy with your wife

You’re finding a new groove - so different I find from being a non-parent! I relish walking my daughter to her Montessori school and kissing my son as he goes off to the park with his beloved cargiver. Everyone getting what they need.

Great list of things to do! I’m definitely all about Starbucks!

A happy/positive attitude goes a long way…trust me..*smiling tightly* I really mean it..*hold on a second…if you two don’t knock it off…..oh, sorry for that interuption…*grin*…nah, seriously, staying positive is a wonderful thing to do! I’ve survived this far…my boys are 12 and 15.

Good for you Mama Duck. It’s not easy being a parent and having fun. I love going for walks with my kids, but I don’t like to take them to stores because they want to play with everything and buy every thing else. “I want this, daddy! Will you get it for me?”

Doesn’t the group writing project just rock. If you want you can check out my “How to” at http://www.dipnoi.org/archives/category/salvation/

My little girl is two-years old. Every other day or so, we dance together. We just put on some music and let loose. It’s a lot of fun and a great stress reliever. And when things start to get a little hairy or a mood is going sour, our private dance party does the trick.

Great list!

Wonderful post…we really do have to do these little things both for ourselves and our little ones, that’s for sure!

I wish I could make weekly trips to Starbucks with the kids, but I’m trading that for a week in Hawaii…so I guess I can’t complain! But guess what is on my extended family wish list this Christmas…. gift cards to my favorite place around here- Coffee People.

Anyway, I loved your post and how it reminds us to stop and savor the moments instead of being in such a rush all the time to “get things done”.

My hubbie and I finally went away for our 9th anniversary (first time in six years away from the kids) and it was good and bad. It was good being away but it was bad that I was tossing and turning and couldn’t sleep b/c I was so used to getting up in the middle of the night for my 18 month old daughter. So, the hubbie said we have to do this more often for me to get used to being away.

Great tips and very inspirational. I enjoyed it! I have some similar posts on my site. http://www.sharpmom.com

Good idea. I try to remember to be patient and smell the flowers. Not always great at it… but I give it my all.

Youre an awesome mum and lady
love reading your blog

mmmm…trips to starbucks!

wait until there are multiple kids and one is old enough to babysit. we now have a weekly date on saturday mornings. grocery shopping without the kids. it’s awesome.

Good tips. After you’ve been a parent for a while it’s sometimes shocking to get to do some of those individual things again. You can get so caught up in the daily necessities that you lose touch with yourself. It’s also great to stop for a minute and really enjoy the moment (with kids and without).

Great post! I know it’s cliché but as a mom of four young adults they really are only young once. It’s good you’re enjoying this special time in your life.

Nice. Very nice ‘how to.’

(Found you through ProBlogger)

Sounds exactly like my life….let’s see - long walks, sitting on the porch in the sun…or hell, reading some terrific blogs.

Wow, i wish i could have kids already…

Nice list. I’ll sure to remember this when I have kids of my own.

Awesome list. These are some great tips to keep in mind. Thanks for stopping by my post as well.

Children at that age are definitely fun but so demanding, I know I have two young one’s. My son is 4 1/2 years and his sister is 21 months so free time is very precious. There is always a moment you can reflect on that will make you smile, definitely outweighs the tantrums.

Nice tips on integrating your lil duck into your activities. Wait till he grows up and read these entries, he will be so amazed at what he did at the supermarket with the pineapple.

Great list! I love being a Mom. My husband doesn’t like to do certain activities like going to the zoo. Now I can take my daughter and go as often as I want. It’s going to be so much fun as she grows older to revisit some of the stuff I did as a kid but got too old to do!

This is great! My little one is only 8 months old so I am still trying to adjust and these ideas are a big help! THANKS!

My wife and I do not plan on starting to have children until she’s out of law school, so we have a few years. We are really looking forward to it though.

Hi, I found you through the problogger project, and I’m really glad I did! I kind of dread having kids and look forward to it at the same time; your post made me realize how wonderful life with kids can be.
I took part in the project too, with a post called “How to ‘buy’ happiness” at http://lifepbs.wordpress.com/2006/09/20/how-to-buy-happiness/

Here’s a tip from an old hand! hehe that fits right in with your post - when my son was little (he’s 6-3, 180# now YIKES) the sure-fire best way for me to get him to talk was to go outside, pick up a ball or a jump rope or anything that required him to be physically active and then just be quiet. If there was anything on his mind, it came out. We both had fun, the words started flowing, and our relationship grew roots that still hold us up through the separation of him being in MN and me here in Saudi Arabia. Take care and have fun with the little one!

Those are great ideas! I love that you “puffed at the fish” with him. Adorable!

It’s so important to slow down and enjoy the little things along with them. Great tips!

I started last year going to a cafe every morning to blog and then trying to be done with work by the time I pick up the little ones from mother’s day out, prek and school. Parenting can be tough, but that time at the cafe every day is a great way to recharge so that I can be ‘loving and attentive mommy’ rather than ‘monster mommy’.

All true! I’ll tell you, though, the real challenge begins when you have more than one child. Suddenly, multitasking takes on a whole new dimension.

Great site, Mama Duck.

I love this list of suggestions! I found myself nodding as I read thinking, ‘Yes, we do that!’ The 3 of us bike to Starbucks nearly every Saturday morning (it’s only 1 mile away) and sit in two of their comfy overstuffed chairs drinking hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream and munching on a slice of lemon pound cake. We get to relax, Snuggle Bug has a blast greeting all the dogs outside and loves watching all the other cyclists that show up. And the taking extra time while doing errands to explore things at his pace idea really works for us as well. He loves touching things and I let him, as long as it’s not breakable. What better way to learn than to explore?

Let’s see, another suggestion for this to help you to enjoy being a parent and save your sanity… watch closely for your child’s triumphant achievements and praise them often. They grow up so fast that if you don’t watch closely, you’ll miss things. It helps you, as a parent, to focus on the positives and the proud looks on their little faces when you recognize their achievements, however small or large, gives even the most frazzled parent a warm glow. We all need positive reinforcement from time to time, right?

I’ve posted a WFMW tip as well, involvinga list of age appropriate children’s chores. Stop by and take a peek if you have some time.

Good reminders to be gentle on ourselves and to maintain a positive and grateful attitude. I don’t have kids but I enjoyed your list!

I need to keep this in mind with my lil’ one.

Slow. Down. Enjoy. His. Childhood. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing these inspirational thoughts. I forwarded your post to my daughter, who will definitely appreciate your sentiments!

Hi Mama Duck,

My little one is 19 mos and is already showing signs of terrible twos. I like you “Walks” idea. I take my little Bubbie out for 1-2 hour walks on the weekend. He loves and (most of the time) and it’s a good time for me to wind down from the week.

Thanks for the great ideas.

These are great ideas I really try to live by esp. now that I have two. They are the most amazing little people and you are right, if you look for it, they can make almost every single minute fun. (even when they are being mischeivous!)

I’ve reached you through the Problogger ‘how-to’s … but I find I’ve been here before! I can’t agree more on the ‘having fun’ thing - the trick is to learn to slow down to a child’s pace, and ignore all the other things clamouring for your attention on the To Do list. Not always very easy, and sometimes you just have to do the grown-up things. They say it is one of the benefits of being a grandparent - there just is more time to ‘be’ together.

hey mamaduck!! thanks for visiting my “how-to” post on How To Live With Teenagers!
Yes, you have something more to look forward to! thus spoke churchpundit!

Great post! I look forward to having kids one day. Thanks for the info.

Hi, Mamaduck! I like your “How To”! Nice blog! Keep up the good work!

It really is a good idea to slow down. It’s so easy to get caught up in the everything of everything and I miss so much this way.

Great reminders. Thanks for commenting on my tips as well.

Very good tips on taking things on a slower pace. I’ll be sure to keep this in mind when I have kids in the near future

Great tips. I have five children that we homeschool and taking it easy every now, giving them time to explore and learn at their own pace is one of the keys to our homeschooling success.

What great reminders, every one of them! This was a perfect read for my afternoon. Thank you.

I like the Starbuck’s idea!

Great thoughts and you are right about how important it is to have fun with our kids. They grow up too darn fast! My baby is graduating high school this year And definetely take them to Starbucks - never too young to make them into Starbuck’s fans!

Hmm. I’ll remember all those things when I start having kids… which won’t be for a long, long time.

Keep up the good work mamaduck.

This post offers a much-needed dose of optimism and inspiration. Great job! I’m not going to be a parent for a good while, but I’m happy to be reminded that it’s something to look forward to.

Great advice for non-parents as well. Check out my how-to list on goal achievement.

I’m glad you found my how-to helpful. I’m looking forward to someday becoming a parent. You offer some good tips/suggestions. Nice article!

good stuff! nice how-to… have to print this out and read it again when i am a parent
i do especially like the starbucks one but oh… i just remembered that I am “banned” from starbucks.
http://thefoologs.com/2006/09/01/cutting-down-on-starbucks-coffee/

I like this article. It’s heartwarming. I look forward to the day I have kids

I think the Problogger Group Writing Project is just great!

Hey MamaDuck!

Fantastic!

Hopefully if enough people read my post then yours will become even more handy! Heh.

By the way - your blog design and functionality is thoroughly putting me to shame!

Have a great day
Ross

My little boys are 19 months now. My father comes by for lunch a couple days a week and I get off the computer and we all have lunch together. It’s so fun to watch these guys. In the last couple weeks Iain is starting to sing along with The Wiggles. It’s so neat to watch them do more and more each day…..even if Jamie has torn wood off the walls and destroyed the lamp in his bedroom in the last 3 weeks alone.

I love them, I really do, no, really…

I could relate to the starbucks visit, the CD collection intrusion and the magazine stuff. My less than a year old daughter loves it whenever we drop starbucks. She loves the comfortable sofas and staring at people enjoying their dose of caffeine.

And yes, she likes pulling out my cd stuff and throwing them on the floor as well. And did I say that all our magazines at home have torn pages?

Diet Blog Round-up (THDBR) #23 :: SPECIAL EDITION

…

Great post. I don’t have kids, yet, but do hope to add a little one soon. You have provided some great pointers that I can use.

Thanks for the comment on my blog. I don’t have any kids yet, but I do enjoy watching my nieces growing up.

Thanks. Nice tips.
The challenge for me now is how to get them to sit quietly in a cinema ^-^

MamaDuck, what a wonderful post.

I recommend enjoying LilDuck as much as possible while he is still in what I have come to know as “the golden years”. When he becomes TeenDuck, things start getting a lot hairier and you may need to come back and look at this post again.

Great post MamaDuck.

I don’t have kids myself but I am an uncle and find great joy in having fun with my nephew. I was surprised at this because I was never much of a kid person. The great thing is teaching him how to make faces and making animal noises, and then giving him back to his mum! I guess I’m just a big orc at heart.

http://stroppsworld.com/2006/09/19/account-security/

Good tips. It’s important to slow down sometimes and do things at your child’s pace. It certainly gives you a different perspective on life!

I’ve got three daughters - 4.5, 3 and 1.5 years old. Man, they keep us busy!

They do enjoy a good walk. That’s a top tip. The only way I can get decent exercise these days is to bundle them into a pram (one or two at a time) and take them out for a half-hour walk. Sometimes I even take all three, with the older two in a double pram and the littlest in a backpack! Now that’s a workout!

You might also be interested in my contribution to the Problogger group writing project: Howw To Take Great Photos Of Children.

Have fun!

A great article as usual MamaDuck. I always have a big smile on my face when I am done reading on your site.

My how-to is up also. Check it out if you have time.

http://www.blushpersonals.com/dating-articles/how-to-make-her-melt-with-your-kiss.html

nice how to
too bad I’ll have to archive this, for now
till I get married…….and have kids
thanks

What makes this topic so hot, I wonder? Being a parent or still having fun?!

In any case, thank you so much for the post! Quite informational indeed

Great post. I have no children, but I’m chock full of imaginary friends.

Carolyn

Great post. I have 2 girls (13 and 7). We are in a different stage of life now but I remember the early days as being a challenging season of life. I wish I would have blogged all the ups and downs. Excellent idea and great site!!!

Scot

Good tips, Lil’ Duck

Mine would be: Remember they’re younger than you think. It’s easy - especially with the oldest - to put upon them greater expectations than they deserve for their age. This is the age old reason parents with multiple children are less demanding of the younger ones (and the older ones complain “I was never allowed to do that!”)

All the best with it.

Great how-to post. Thanks for checking out my how-to.

It’s the little little things with children that makes parents wonder why they didn’t have them earlier! Interesting post.. and thanks for giving a comment on my “Get Motivated…Demonstrated!” post….

My mom did a few of those things on the list such as taking time to explore the store at my pace when I was a kid. Some of my favorite memories of being a toddler.

I’m a little late getting to the comment on your how to list, but it’s still fabulous! Starbuck’s is my favorite place to escape and for some reason my little one is pretty content when we’re there…could be the music or the coffee cake that he gets to nibble on. Either way, I leave a more relaxed and refreshed mommy. Who knew a cup of coffee could be so powerful?

Thanks for visiting my blog too!

Good stuff…I think the topic is important not only for the parents, but for the kids. It’s important for them to see their parents are still real people who still have fun. All about raising healthy kids.

Btw, I found your blog via the Writing Project. Found the project too late to participate myself (e.g should have wrote a “Day Late, Dollar Short” blog).

Cheers.

Nice.

My kids have bad food alergies - anaphalactic reactions to everything containing nuts, egg, fish and sesame. Makes any trip to places like Starbucks a nightmare. You wouldn’t believe how many times we’ve asked “Does this contain traces of nuts?” only to be mislead by uninformed staff.

Would be interested to hear your take on how others handle this.

MamaDuck, honestly, this is a good list for anyone, even non-parents! We could all stand to slow the world down to a child’s pace and do a little exploration of the world around us from time to time. Thanks for sharing this list!

Genie
http://www.theinadvertentgardener.com

Great “how to.” Even more impressive, though, are the number of people who responded to what you wrote. You should be very proud of that type of response — it’s really phenomenal.

Donna

Firstly, thanks for visiting my site and commenting - one of my first ever.

Secondly, I can totally relate to all your suggestions. My two girls and I (4 & 1) love going to the library and then to Gloria Jeans for a babycino and smartie cookie. I find it is great chance to reflect on how blessed I am to have two beautiful girls. At the moment they are yelling at each other (the little one is trying to brush the big one’s hair) but I can still see the humour in the situation even if they can’t.

We love going to the park, dancing, singing, reading books, craft, water-play, cooking, catching up with friends and cuddling. I really enjoy the break I get when I load the girls into the double pram for a walk.

Thanks for sharing your insights. There is something so refreshing about sharing the joys of the journey.

Robyn

Mama Duck,

Thanks for visiting my site. Keep those visits coming! You’ve got a great site here, and I’ll be returning.

I’ve got 2 sons - one a teen, another a teen-to-be. I remember the times we had when they were both younger. With kids, there’s always ups and downs (at every age) - I’m glad to see that you’re sharing the ups. Keep your site going - you’ll definitely appreciate it over the years.

great tips and reminders. They grow up too quickly and it’s fun to enjoy the quiet moments.

I am always amazed at how the little things we do and don’t do make the biggest difference in our daily lives. ;o)

Hugs,
Holly
Holly’s Corner

Here via the Carnvial of Family Fun. ;o)

I definitely agree with taking time out for yourself! As parents, our lives get so busy between taking care of things that need to be done it’s very easy to feel guilty for not spending every minute possible with your little ones. But I’ve found taking time out for yourself really does enhances the time I do spend with my son, simply because giving myself a break allows me to feel recharged.

One additional suggestion I’d like to add is to go somewhere or do something that’s new with your child, even if it’s the most mundane activity for yourself. Seeing children experience something for the first time is so amazingly pure, you can almost share that newness and wonder all over again. I suppose there’s some tie-in here with your “let your child explore things at their own pace” point, with the idea being that there’s value in doing something just for the experience itself however that unfolds.

A Few of My Favorite Things How-To’s

Not only did I enjoy participating in Problogger’s How-To group writing project, the final list of how-tos gave me several days worth of interesting reading when I found a little downtime. Here’s a few of my favs, in no particular order:
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I regurlary frequent Starbucks with my 3 month old. It definately relieves me when I fall into a “I need to get out of the house” mood. Thank goodness for decaf while I am nursing too!

Great tips. I just wanted to add that my hubby and I also go to the drive in with our baby. Even if he starts crying it won’t disturb anyone else. We also like to frequent the park with baby either in stroller or in a sling. Although we don’t eat out much, many restaurants now offer take out…like Applebees…so you can get the feeling of eating out without the hassels of dragging Jr. along.