How to Eliminate Fish Oil Smell From Clothes (Really)

I've been giving Baby L fish oil supplements. It tastes like lemon (he still hates it) but dries on clothing like regular, stinky, fish oil. After several failed attempts at removing the stench, I finally found Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator by BioKleen. It's an enzyme based, cleaner that WORKS! They have several product lines for kitchen, laundry and cleaners and I'll most likely try them all.

Book Recommendations by YourNextRead

I typically use Amazon.com to find book recommendations, but it keeps on referring to the same books. Lifehacker will run a survey for the best book recommendation service. They are asking readers for contenders, and one of the suggestions is YourNextRead.com. Based on entering Patrick Rothfuss's "Name of the Wind", it suggested Robin Hobb's "Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders, Book 1)" which looked reasonable. I am hopeful that this new recommendation service will work out!

Is [Insert Website Here] Down Right Now?

I was having trouble accessing Facebook: my browser was displaying a blank page when I went to the site. This happened on two browsers I tried, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Wanting to determine the status of the Facebook website, I typed in "Is Facebook Down?" in a search engine and found DownRightNow, specifically the Facebook status page. Sure enough, it showed that there is a "likely service disruption". It's a handy site I have bookmarked for future use.

Secrets of Discipline

An Overview adapted from the book "Secrets of Discipline: 12 Keys for Raising Responsible Children" By Ronald G. Morrish

1. Never give a choice when it comes to limits.

Today’s discipline substitutes choices for limits. Parents say, “If you hit, you will sit” but that’s a choice. It says, “If you don’t mind sitting, then hitting is one of the things you can do to get your own way”.

2. If you bargain for compliance now, you'll beg for it later.

Parents have been taught to get children to comply by offering rewards and threatening/giving consequences. This quickly leads to excessive bargaining and deal-making.

3. When children are well-trained, it’s habit-forming.

For adults, basic compliance is a habit. We stop at red lights because we always stop at red lights. Similarly, when children are well-trained, they pick up after themselves because they always do so, it’s a habit.

4. Rules worth having, are worth enforcing.

Rules must be enforced, but punishment is not the main tool for doing so. First, parents must present themselves as being in charge, then insist that children do what they are told to do, then punish if necessary.

5. Behavior that needs to be learned, needs to be taught.

Children learn appropriate behaviors through correction and positive practice, not consequences. Instead of using time-outs for rudeness, say, “We don’t speak that way in our home. Now start over.”

6. Today's practice is tomorrow's performance.

Sports skills are taught and practiced before a game so children will perform well during the game. Similarly, behavior skills have to be practiced ahead of time - i.e.: bedtime routines at 2:00 p.m., not at bedtime.

7. Independence isn’t “doing your own thing”; it’s doing what’s right on your own.

In real discipline, independence is more than just “doing whatever you fell like doing”. It’s the ability to do what’s right on your own - the ability to make the same decisions when you are unsupervised as you would have made if you were directly supervised.

8. Keep responsible decisions, in responsible hands.

Adults make choices for children because adults care about the outcomes of the choices. Children are ready to choose for themselves when they also care about the effect their choices have on themselves and others.

9. Discipline comes best from the heart, not the hand.

Positive relationships are important. They help children perceive that discipline is positive influence, not excessive control. Children learn that parents who discipline are parents who care.

10. Beware of self-indulgence, disguised as self-esteem.

Real self-esteem is built on genuine competence and positive relationships. It you try to build it separately, you end up with children who feel much better about themselves while they continue to misbehave.

11. Prevention is the best solution.

Today’s popular discipline is reactive. Real discipline is preventative. Think about what to do before there is a problem, not after. When a problem does arise, create a structure that avoids future incidents.

12. There is no great discipline, without great commitment.

It takes time to supervise, direct, teach, correct, and review. It takes time to build good habits and routines. There are no shortcuts to real discipline. Parents can’t expect great kids without putting in the time & effort.

Homeopathic Lice Prevention

I got this tip from the San Carlos/Belmont Mothers' Club and I'm posting this here as a handy reference for when Baby L is old enough to go to school. Here are two homeopathic ways to prevent lice:

• Add a drop or two of Yling Ylang to J&J No more Tangles Spray. Lice hate this essential oil. It's ~$10/bottle
• Use Fairy Tales brand shampoo, conditioner or detangler spray. These products are more expensive, but already have the different oils like Tea tree and Rosemary inside that repel lice.

Traveling with Toddlers

This is a GREAT idea -- My Busy Kit contains toys and activities for toddlers and young children during travel, e.g., plane rides. The concept is sound, but I think the price is high relative to the value of the contents. When the time comes, perhaps I will make a visit to the dollar store to create my own portable play pack. I've heard that Play Dough, pipe cleaners and boxes Band-Aids can keep kids entertained for quite a while.

Potty Training Kit

For my own future reference, Pampers provides a potty training kit.