Brushing Those Tuskies and Keeping the Pipes Clear

Two things I need some advice on:

1. Brushing those baby teeth. Mcclellan has 8 and my biggest problem with them is remembering to brush them! I even have his toothbrush next to ours, but we never remember to brush his. We've tried during bath, on the changing table, at the dinner table. It doesn't help either, that kid hates us trying to stick that thing in there. I've even tried just wiping his teeth with a small washcloth, and he detests that too. Any ideas?

2. Big eater constipation. Kid has always been a great eater and while some of it is probably our fault for "letting" him eat certain things, we have a problem about 2 times a month with constipation. I pretty much let him eat til he stops on his own (which is usually indicated by him sticking his tongue out with the food all over it!), and he eats most everything we do (still no obvious digestive-problem foods like oranges, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, corn, etc.). I try not to load him up on bananas or bread to avoid constipation, but it seems to happen still more frequently than I'd like. Is this just something normal for big eating kids that I have to get used to, or is there something you could recommend to avoid the painful, fussy F.O.S. baby?

Gracias, chicas!

Neutralizer

Quick, homeopathic remedy for gas. Matt was having front end and rear end troubles last night (thought he was getting flu again!) and took 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar and a cup of chamomile tea which fixed him right up. He took 2 tsp. again like an hour later when he started having tummy pain again. Woke up happy as a clam this morning!

Super Vinegar to the Rescue!

For those of you who are anti cleaning chemicals. Even if you're only semi-anti like me. 1001 Uses for White Vinegar. My favorite is using it to mop linoleum floors. Cleaning the toilet is good with WV too, but doesn't have the cling power of those gel-bleachy cleaners.

Welcome to Ribs & Rubies!

Kind of a strange name, huh? When Jennifer and I were contemplating what to name the site, we turned to scripture for inspiration and a creative title. We looked at the usual Proverbs 31 and Ephesians 5 for what the Bible says about women...women who are married and have children. We liked the verse Prov. 31:10 because it states that a woman of noble character is worth more than rubies...something all women, wives and mothers or not, should strive for. And then, as wives, we liked the Genesis passage that explicitly describes how God created woman: from man, bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh.

So there you go. Ribs and rubies. Who we are, and what we desire to be. We are a group of housewives and mothers who want to share with each other our joys, our challenges, our triumphs and our shortcomings. We want to be candid with each other, stay in touch with friends from afar, and possibly make new friends! We are all connected somehow and while its okay to give this blog address to whomever you wish, authors will be limited to those given the rights. If you'd like to be an author, contact Jennifer or Christina.

This housewives and mothers forum is to give us a chance to discuss family, children, health and wellness, our Christian faith and spirituality, nutrition and recipes, homeschooling and education, home management, homemade and handmade projects, and any other rants and raves.