Champagne Anyone?

It's been a while since my last post; sorry for that! We've been making some big changes to the site, store, and product lines. We've also been preparing for our Ribbon Cutting Ceremony this Thursday April 2nd at 4:00pm.

We are very excited that the Chamber of Commerce is helping us to get our feet wet with this event!

Feel free to stop by and enjoy some refreshments and meet some wonderful people!

What's Your Trigger?

The phone is ringing, the baby is crying, dinner is burning, and your late for soccer practice. Not really; did your blood pressure start to rise when you read that? I know mine did! How do you cope when things get crazy; how should you cope when things get crazy?

After attending a recent M.O.P.s presentation by Nona Luke (Lee's Summit Community Church) called "Slow to Anger- Hope for Frustrated Mothers Desiring a Gentle Spirit", we thought her wisdom was worth sharing. Here is just some of what we learned about dealing with stress:

When you feel stressed from outside forces:

Are you taking on too much responsibility? A mother must be able to say "NO" to the needs of others when the needs of her family will be endangered by saying "Yes".
Tip: Give yourself a timeout. Then stop, think, & plan (S.T.P.). If you have to, grab a pen and piece of paper and write it down. Often times, this process is therapeutic in itself; not to mention the fact that it will be one less thing that you have to keep re-running in your brain.

When you don't feel well:

Whether it's PMS, fatigue, illness, pregnancy, or just a plain old headache, they can all be crippling when things get hectic. It's important to identify what the problem is before it becomes overwhelming.

Tip: Recognize the signs of fatigue; crying easily, low energy, grumpiness, etc. Adjust & balance your schedule to include rest time & healthy eating habits. Also don't forget to include at least some time for things like personal interests & friendships which can significantly affect your emotional state.

When you have too many demands with too little time:

There are 24 hours / 144 minutes / 8640 seconds in one day. That means you can only squeeze so much into a limited space. Let's face it, we forget that sometimes, which can leave us feeling like real underachievers. However, that isn't the case at all; it's probably just the opposite.

Tip: Don't cram too much into one day; prioritize, organize, & plan ahead. Be the master of your day, rather than the victim. By having a strategy for the day that includes anticipating potential problems, you can avoid stressful situations that can derail your sanity. Buy a calendar and planner and force yourself to use it!
Warning: Be flexible. Life is full of interruptions, emergencies, & crisis. A mother must train herself to go with the flow, even if it means temporarily abandoning your plan.

When you feel overwhelmed, inadequate or helpless in your role:

You are not superwoman! Don't even try to put that pressure on yourself. Ketterman & Holt suggest that a mother is like velvet over steel; loving & gentle, yet strong and in control.

Say what you mean and mean what you say.

State the desired behavior and results ahead of time.

Make a choice to enjoy your children.

Try to find the funny side of helpless situation; lighten up.

When your children aren't meeting your expectations or you fear they are going in the wrong direction:

Mothers often use loud voices or long lectures to scare children into acting the right way. While this may work in the short-term, it often results in long-term habits that are not productive.

Children need unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness. According to Terri Maxwell: Be patient with your children as they learn over time, not angry when they aren't progressing as quickly as we'd like.

Tip: Break the cycle by leaving the situation. If you are in public, go outside, in a bathroom or your car if you have to. Get your child to calm down so that you can walk them through what went wrong.

Summary:

One thing is common to all of these tips; keeping a level head. Taking a step back before you react is crucial to you handling things successfully. So the next time you start to feel that sense of self doubt, worry, anger, or stress, take a deep breath and think about how you are about to react. Is your reaction equal to the situation or is it just a chance to blow off steam?

Your family, friends, and blood pressure will thank you!

For more details check out these resources:

"When You Feel Like Screaming - Help for Frustrated Mothers"
Pat Holt & Grace Ketterman, M.D.

"Home schooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit"
Teri Maxwell

"Child Training Tips"
Reb Bradley

Holy Bible (NIV)

Parenting Magazine

Wood you do that?

We have all bought baby furniture at one point or another, but how much thought have you put into it's protection and longevity? While it may not be on the top of your priority list, it most certainly is for this furniture expert and fellow mother / business owner..

Furniture Care

Making the decision to invest in furniture for your baby’s room or any room really is sometimes difficult. There are so many options out there. At Kiddos Collection we try to make that decision a more affordable one and one that makes you feel good about the quality of the purchase you make.

Making the purchase is just the first step in caring for a piece of furniture. I guess you could say like having a baby is the first step of a long journey. The care you give a child makes a huge difference in how they grow and develop. It is important to care for your furniture too.

When wood is first cut it is more than 50 percent water. Wood that is used for furniture construction has been placed in a Kiln so the moisture content is brought down to only 8 to 10 percent. Wood responds to its environment. If it is in a room with high humidity it will absorb and expand and if it is in a room with low humidity it will shrink. The ideal environment for fine wood furniture is a room that is 65 to 75 degrees and a relative humidity between 35 to 40 percent. This fits the temperature of most homes year round. If furniture is placed or stored in areas that are outside the ideal temperatures the wood can and will shrink or expand and may develop some small cracks. Changes in humidity can also cause doors and drawers to swell and make it difficult to open or close them.

Here are some helpful hints about caring for your furniture:

Avoid direct sunlight – Ultraviolet rays will fade colors or in some cases darken them and white finishes will yellow.

Do not use synthetic fabric under accessories or lamps. Allow the surface to breath by rotating your accessories and lamps.

Protect tops from pens, markers and crayons

Do not drag items across the surface of the furniture.

Do not over polish your furniture, two or three times a year should be plenty. Clean it with a damp, not wet, cloth. Use only a mild soap. Do not use abrasive cleaners.

Do not wax your furniture, wax buildup can destroy the natural finish of the product.

Keep your furniture level so doors and drawers open and close freely.

In addition to protecting the wooden parts of your furniture, it's equally important to protect any fabric areas that have stain potential:

First, make sure that you Scotchgard™ any areas that will be exposed to unfriendly debris. Although this may seem like a pain, it will pay dividends later.

If you do happen to fall prey to an ugly stain, here are things to keep in mind during the clean up:

Know your fabric; different cleaners will react in a variety of ways. Try a small test area first, if possible.

Although there are hundreds of options for stain removal, we use a great multi-purpose cleaner like Gonzo most of the time.

Rent a steam cleaner if the job is big or you want to be extra careful.

Make sure to damp in lieu of scrubbing to keep from damaging the material.

Whatever you do, don't stress out about it! It's just furniture and if it isn't fixable, it is replaceable. Since we handle hundreds of pieces of furniture per month, we have seen it all; if we can be of help, feel free to contact us.