Step2

 

Written by Sara S.

My husband has been working nights for the past few weeks. It took a bit of time for the kids and I to get used to it.  Meanwhile, they began sneaking into my bed during the night… knowing that I have been too tired to kick them out.

Ryan started coming into my bed in the middle of the night and I wouldn’t notice it or I would be too tired to send him back to his own room.  For goodness sake, there is plenty of room in the king bed for me and a five year old.  But that’s where I was wrong.

Somehow Grizz started coming in too. I thought it was Ryan because Brady never would get out of his bed at night without calling out  – “Mommy where are you?”  Mommy where are you?” I am pretty sure that meant – “Mommy come get me or Mommy come here.” Grizz has a phobia that adds disruption to sleep.  He won’t put his feet under the covers because he is convinced there might be spiders lurking under there waiting to bite his feet; so the safest place for his feet is on top of the covers.

The bedtime visits have escalated and now I have two bed bugs. One comes in around 1am and the other one stumbles in sometime later. I woke up the other morning to Brady sleeping with his feet in Ryan’s face.  Both fast asleep.

 

I think it’s time for them to share a room. At least then they can crawl into bed with each other.

I remember crawling into bed with my parents. It was the safest and happiest feeling. If they said “no,” and sent me back to my room I remember feeling so sad and scared. Those memories make it harder for me to be stern with my own kids and send them marching back into their own cold and dark rooms.

I will be strong when Chris is done working nights and we can enforce the kids sleeping in their own beds!

Any ideas?

 
Sara is an on the go – down to earth Momma, married to a Marine and the mother of two get dirty wild and crazy, play in the mud boys. She loves Michael Jackson, dancing and spending time with her family. She is honored to be able to teach her little guys about the world around them, about kindness love and the human spirit. For fun, she loves to make jewelry, shop, ski and spend time outdoors getting dirty with her boys. Sara is a Sr. Product Manager at Step2.

Written by Tena

While taking a quick glance through my personal Facebook page earlier in the week, I passed over a post that caught my attention.

The post was a picture of an adorable little boy who is the son of a good friend of mine from high school.  He looked about my son’s age and the post was:

“Potty chair, check.  Big boy under pants, check.  Potty watch, check.”

I did a double take of the post.  Until that moment, I had never heard of a potty watch, and I needed to learn more about it.

I commented to the post, “What is a potty watch?” and realized (moments after posting) that I didn’t have time to wait for her answer.  I needed to find out for myself.  I went to Amazon and searched for “potty watch”.  I read several reviews and the product description.  A few minutes and $10 later, I had a potty watch on its way to our home.

 

Since then, I’ve been telling others about the potty watch and I don’t even own it yet.  I’m just so excited by the concept that I cannot keep my mouth shut.

Because of my role here at Step2 I am always reading up on the power of social word of mouth and have seen it from the business side happen quite often.  This was my first conscious experience of being influenced, socially, to purchase a product sight unseen.  Now, I cannot stop my mind from wandering and pondering and I want to know more!

What products have you purchased for you, your children, or your family that you’ve made as a result of word of mouth?  Have they lived up to your expectations?  What would you recommend that others buy?

Here are my list of products that I would recommend to any and everyone:

• Clairisonic Mini
• Benefits Lip & Cheek Stain
• Nap Nanny
• Doc Brown’s baby bottles
• Wen 613 Shampoo
• Up & Down Roller Coaster
• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
• Chicken and turkey flavored baby food in place of kitty treats
• Anything made by Gardein’
• Sand Puff

The jury is still out on the power of the potty watch for me.  It shipped out yesterday and is due to arrive today.  I clearly was so excited that I inadvertently ordered a pink version for my son, but I’m certain he won’t mind.

About Tena

Tena and her best friend (and hubby) had their first child in July, 2011. Their little guy has a congenital heart defect and he is one tough little cookie; don’t ever think about calling him sick though – “his plumbing is just different.” Tena is an animal loving vegetarian and is excited to teach her son about compassion and the importance of volunteer work. She secretly hopes her son will be left handed like his momma. She is the Online Marketing Director for Step2.

Written by Ashley

I firmly believe my yellow lab Peak knew I was pregnant before anyone else. Before I even saw that plus sign, Peak had already edited his behavior. His typical jumping upon my arrival home from work came to a halt and he’d lay his head on my belly when we I slept. This lasted the entirety of my pregnancy (and to this day his puppy tendencies are finally gone!).

You might think we’re crazy, but my husband and I often refer to Peak as our first born. Knowing that not all dogs mesh well with babies, we feared how he would react when our new roommate arrived home. I asked my OBGYN multiple times how I could prepare the dog for the new baby. I also asked friends with pets and kids. The best advice I received was to have someone bring something of Chloe’s home to Peak before bringing Chloe home.

My best friend of 20 years took Chloe’s little newborn hat to our house the day she was born. When she walked in, she let Peak sniff it. You see, Peak has an addition to anything fabric – he is constantly stealing socks – so this was a brave move. Anyone who knows me has heard countless stories of where we’ve found socks in the house – post digested. So when Jackie showed him the small fabric hat, she assumed he would steal it and run off with it, only to be seen again a few hours later on the floor in the corner of our bedroom. Rather, she was stunned by his reaction. She told me that after she placed the hat on the kitchen floor, he gently walked over to it, sniffed it, and left it there.

This made me feel better about their upcoming meeting. To me, this said, “I smell Mom. That thing must finally be here. I guess I’ll give this big brother thing a shot.”

Chloe met Peak at 4 days old. I was first to enter the house. My husband is the alpha in the dog’s eyes, so he waited to come into the house after me as to show Peak that we are equals. I walked in and Peak immediately put his nose to my belly. He looked up at me with his tail wagging as to say, “Ok lady. Where is it?” I then brought Chloe in in her car seat carrier. I placed the carrier on the ground and let them “meet.” Of course I was scared that he would hurt her, but by letting him sniff and “get to know” her, it showed him that she is an extension of us.

We actually captured this meeting on video.

The first few nights she was home from the hospital, he would wake up with us when she cried for her nighttime feed. He would sit on the nursery floor as we tended to her. But just like any sibling, the crying got old to him and by the forth night home, when she cried he would lift his head up in the bed turn to my husband and me as to say “Again?!” and then lay his head back down.

Fast forward six months. He’s always giving her kisses and now that she is starting to grasp things, she “pets” him. Of course there have been some parent fails, like the time he dropped his toy on her forehead and left a little red mark above her eyebrows. I get it. He just wanted to share his toy with her.

We are so lucky to have a pet that is good with kids. I know not everyone is this lucky, but we had to make a conscious effort with the introduction so everyone could learn how to play nice. Their meeting was truly one introduction that made a lasting first impression on all of us.

About Ashley
Ashley is a self-proclaimed fashionista, social media maven, and proud new mama. Together with her husband, they welcomed their first child last August. They also have a fur-baby named Peak, an 80-lb. yellow lab whom they adopted during a ski trip in Denver. She is the Social Media Manager at Step2 and you may have recently communicated with her if you’ve chatted with Step2 on Facebook or Twitter.

Last March, we began a weekly feature on the Step2 blog called We’re Moms Too. Each Monday, 1 of 6 moms who work at Step2 gave you a look into their personal life as a mom and/or grandma. During the holidays, we took a short hiatus from We’re Moms Too, but we are now back with more fun (and funny) stories of parenthood.

Joining We’re Moms Too for the second year is Ashley, Sara, and Tena. Ashley, Social Media Manager, went from mom-to-be in 2012 to a new mom of a 6 month old baby girl Chloe. Sara, a Sr. Product Manager who is the mother of two young boys, has many more stories to share of their get dirty, wild and crazy play times this year.  Tena, Online Marketing Director, is enjoying the changes from having an infant to a now rambunctious toddler running around!

We are excited to welcome Meghan, Marketing Director, to We’re Moms Too in 2013. Meghan is a mom to three little girls, all under the age of 5, who are best friends and worst enemies at the same time. Meghan, married to her husband of 8 years, loves to travel, try new foods, and has recently become a big fan of Downtown Abby. It’s a real treat when she and husband get a babysitter and over-order at their favorite sushi restaurant.

Beginning next Monday, We’re Moms Too will be moving from a weekly feature to a monthly feature on the Step2 Blog. Follow these four moms the first Monday of each month as they navigate dirty diapers, battle the terrible twos, kiss boo boos, and boast about their love for being moms.

My 21 month old granddaughter is coming for a visit over the Thanksgiving holiday and needless to say I am very excited and in a bit of a panic at the same time.

It has been many years since I’ve had a toddler in my home therefore my home is far from being “kid proof”. Friends are telling me that I will need to remove the glass candle holders from my coffee table. But gee they look so nice. Now I’m wondering, ok, what else do I need to do? When raising my sons I never put anything up, but of course I didn’t have a whole lot to speak of back then.

I would like to throw this out to the young moms and grandma’s reading this in a quest for some advice on the prep work that I need to do prior to the arrival of my little angel and her parents for five days. I need all the help I can get.

Thanking you in advance.

About Sharon

Sharon became a first time grandma in February of 2011 and had the pleasure of celebrating her granddaughter’s first birthday in San Francisco where she lives with her oldest son and his wife. Sharon welcomes the opportunity to spoil her granddaughter after having raised two boys. Sharon is an avid lover of the arts and has dabbled with oil painting and enjoys interior decorating as a hobby. She is the Customer Service Manager for Step2.

I know for sure something that enriches my life and something I could not live without – Moms!  The amount of information that I have learned from other Mom’s and the amount of love, happiness, fears and hardships that that other Mom’s have shared with me is much more than a college course, a parenting lesson, or even a semester class could have taught me!  I am a huge fan of all Moms, Grandmother’s, single Mom’s, adoptive Mom’s, working Mom’s and stay-at-home Mom’s.

We all have a story- a story full of heart.

In October I was blessed with the opportunity to travel on two business trips – both wonderful, both Moms focused!

The first opportunity took me out to San Diego, to work with Infantino at our second annual “Everybody Plays” photo shoot, featuring Kelle Hampton as photographer. http://www.kellehampton.com/2012/10/everybody-plays.html

I was able to meet with the women (all were Mom’s) who helped to orchestrate, organize and pioneer this wonderful event. Kelle was of course amazing and getting to know her was something I will cherish and appreciate.  The Everybody Plays shoot is a photo shoot that highlights and celebrates the ways children play; children with all different abilities. Kids are kids no matter what their abilities and it’s fun to celebrate their individuality. Step2 and Infantino sponsored this event and will be featuring these beautiful children on packaging, marketing campaigns, and on any graphic or signage needs. It is hard to express how astounding this event was. There are lots of breathtaking photos on-line. Here are some I took with my phone but don’t do the children justice. Through this event I met amazing Moms.  One Mom was caring for a baby named Genevieve who has spinal bifida. She learned of this when her husband was in Afghanistan. He came home for the birth and is still in Afghanistan. She was excited to meet Kelle. I hope to be involved in this Everybody Plays shoot every year! This year it was on the news and positively affected hundreds of Moms and families. My heart grew from attending the event!

The second trip I took was to Chicago for Marketing to Moms. Moms are all that and a bag of chips. We also have $2.4 Trillion in buying power in the US. Each seminar was filled with insights on Mom’s, what she wants for her kids, all she does in a day, and how important her decision making is when it comes to the household budget.

Cheers to all Moms!  You are amazing and you can do it all because you do!

Sara is an on the go – down to earth Momma, married to a Marine and the mother of two get dirty wild and crazy, play in the mud boys. She loves Michael Jackson, dancing and spending time with her family. She is honored to be able to teach her little guys about the world around them, about kindness love and the human spirit. For fun, she loves to make jewelry, shop, ski and spend time outdoors getting dirty with her boys. Sara is a Sr. Product Manager at Step2.