Daddy does not play! The importance of strong fathers

Today Dwayne and I took William out with us to run a few errands. One of our stops was by my father-in-law's house. Dwayne let William run around a little in the front yard (it's one of those streets that very few cars drive through). Dwayne's dad had a pile of yard debris including some old wooden boards and it was on a part of the front yard that is on a slope. This was a dangerous area for the little guy to be around so we had to keep a good eye on him. Of course William had to try running over that way and I am screaming for him to stop and he is laughing the whole way over there. Dwayne then does this simple sound like he's clearing his throat loudly and Will stops dead in his tracks. Smile is gone. He slowly walks away from the danger zone. See William knows he can sort of charm his way a bit with me and the big sisters but when it comes to daddy, no way. It ain't happening. Dwayne says that fathers have to "Put the fear of God" in a child to keep them in check. He also says there has to be a line drawn out that they should know they are not to cross. I think we have a pretty good balance between the two of us so hopefully we will have a great experience raising this little boy. I truly believe that strong fathers are such an important part in a child's development. I'm also glad that I can use Dwayne when William gets out of line. It worked like a charm with the girls so we will see what happens with William :)

William update

For those of you who read Momfiles regularly you might recall this post where I talked about joining the local Community Center. One of my big goals was to get William put in babysitting a few times a week to help him socialize with other kids his age and hopefully encourage him to speak. I took him on Friday and stayed in the room with him and watched him stay as far away from the other kids and babysitter. He played independently and occasionally made his way over to me to cling to me. The lady that was on that particular babysitting shift noticed that he was playing nicely alone and asked for me to walk out of the room until she gave me the heads up to return. I watched him from the slim door window and at first I saw him looking around the room for me. The babysitter (older lady) told him, "I'm here William. Let's play ball." From there he was fine, no panic or crying. He still did not quite play with the other kids but he did sit at a table voluntarily with the others. This was a great step for him and I really feel confident about leaving him perhaps starting this week. Even though you can have 2 hours of free babysitting at one time I think I will start out with 20-30 minutes. Honestly, I don't see myself working out for 2 hours! I will update more on how he does once he is completely solo.

Get rid of your washing machine funk! (Giveaway)

**Contest Closed**
Winner #72 Sue E. Thanks to all for participating!

My awesome friends at Tide contacted me to try out their new product called Tide Washing Machine Cleaner. Being the big fan of the family of Tide products I was very optimistic. I have a dinosaur washing machine and was afraid that a new product like this would not work for me. Luckily I was wrong! It can be used in all washers. This product was formulated to help clean built-up residue that can re-attach to your clothes.The cleaner comes in a powder form and for me all I had to do was add it straight into my washer (without clothing) and run a normal cycle using hot water. The first thing I noticed was the scent. It is one of those "slap you in the face" kind of fresh scents. I love strong scents when it comes to cleaning products so this was a plus for me. A soon as my washer started to agitate I could smell the freshness traveling up to the top floor of my home. Seriously, my machine smells so good and there is no sign of the funk left over. It is suggested to initially use 1 packet once per week for three weeks and then once per month for maintenance. I will stick a note in my washroom to remind me to clean the washer on a schedule.

**For those of you with HE machines I found out that washing machine odor is actually a common problem with HE washing machines. Since these machines use less water, odor causing residues can build up in unseen places like the back of the drum, hose or drain.

Giveaway: Now 1 (one) lucky Momfiles reader get a chance to win a year's supply of Tide Washing Machine Cleaner. Mandatory: All you have to do is leave a relevant comment to this post. Maybe you can share a laundry tip. Comments saying "thanks" or "count me in" will be deleted.
(You must complete the above method to qualify for extra entries)

--You can Twitter this giveaway (one per day) and leave me a link to your Tweet.
Example: Win a one year supply of Tide Washing Machine Cleaner @momfiles http://blog.momfiles.com/2010/01/get-rid-of-your-washing-machine-funk.html

-- Facebook this giveaway, and please leave a separate comment/link for each entry to count. (one per day)

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*Be sure to have a visible email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger profile. Giveaway is open to US residents only. Deadline to enter is January 28, 2010 at 09:59 pm EST. Good luck!
Thank you Tide for providing Momfiles with a year's supply of this product as well as sponsoring the giveaway product for one reader.

I'm not ready give it up yet

There are some items that parents believe to be a must with babies. Granted William is no longer a baby but now a toddler, there is still use for certain thing right? For instance, you still use the carseat, stroller, playpen and several other things. The one thing I still use is the changing table. Most people think it's a waste but I LOVE it. I had one that I used for both girls and bought one when I was expecting William. I love being able to store and organize his diapers, wipes, powder and all kinds of bath related and miscellaneous items. It has been the most useful piece of equipment we purchased.

Now what do you do when it gets to this point?

Man, I just don't want to get rid of this just yet! Will has outgrown this changing table by a couple inches. Y'all better not be making fun of me :P

Wordless Wednesday- Hide-and-Seek with Will

Look at big boy Will! He is really looking so grown up and has just about lost his baby looks.

He loves to hide. Look at this face. This is one of those rare times he will smile for the camera because he is not expecting to have his photo taken. He thinks I am trying to find him instead!

Here is one of those silly shots after we ran all through the house playing hide-and -seek.

This little guy keeps his mommy on the go ALL day long!