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May 1, 2020 by: Nusrat

5 Tips for Helping Children Grieve

My children have lost two close family members within the last two years. Their Aunt (my sister) to cancer and their Grandfather (my father-in-law) to the Covid-19 virus. Explaining the loss of a loved one to a child can be overwhelming, especially when you are also dealing with your own grief. Here are five tips to help your child understand their grief be it for a friend, a family member or even a pet.

Tell them the truth

Be straight forward when you explain the loss and present facts in an age appropriate language. Children understand a lot more than we give them credit for. A clear statement like ‘Grandpa’s heart stopped and his body is not working anymore’. If your child is older they will need more details like the name of the illness. Your children will be looking to you for emotional cues so it’s alright to say you are sad but assure them that you will be OK.

Acknowledge your child’s grief

It is important to recognize that everyone grieves differently. Allow them to grieve in their own way. Your child may have more meltdowns than usual, or lash out in anger over the smallest inconveniences. Some children become overly clingy and feel very insecure if someone needs to leave the house to run errands. They may feel sadness, anger and fear all at once and these are big emotions to feel. Give them all the time, space and love to allow them to grieve how they need.

Be prepared to answer a lot of questions

As your child processes the loss in the first few days (and even months and years later) as life begins to normalize, be prepared for a multitude of questions. These questions will pop up in the middle of play time or when you are least expecting it. They will catch you off guard and perhaps break your heart. It hurts to know that your babies are hurting but answering as truthfully as you can will help them build a new normal.

Months after my sister’s death, my 4 year old suddenly asked me ‘Can we give her a potion to bring her back to life?’ I braced myself, apologized and explained that unfortunately no, there is no potion that can bring her back. There may be questions about where the loved one is now? Can they see us? Do they miss us? Whether you take a religious, spiritual or factual route is up to you but be prepared for the hard questions.

Share the memories

As a family come up with ways to remember your loved one. It could be as simple as eating at your loved one’s favorite restaurant and sharing happy memories. You could plant a tree or create a photo book. On my sister’s birthday the children insisted we buy a cake like we would if she was still with us. They blew the candles out and then released balloons for her. Now it’s become an annual birthday celebration for her. Choose anything that serves as a connection to your loved one who has passed.

Reach out

You don’t have to do this alone. Find a children’s group therapy program in your community to connect your child with others who have also lost loved ones. It may help them heal to know they are not alone and others their age have also experienced loss. If that is not an option, do activities together like reading books and watching movies that will help both of you through the grieving process. This will initiate conversations and give them the opportunities to express their feelings into words. Always reassure them that you are here to listen.

I wish we could all protect our children from the pain of loss but it is something we all experience at some time. What we can do is help them express their feelings and remember, don’t ignore your own grief.

Have you helped a child through the loss of a loved one? Do you have any additional tips?

I’ve listed a few books below that have helped my family. If you click through and make a purchase this blog will earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

     

August 2, 2018 by: Nusrat

Dallas Blogger Brunch x SitterNeeded

Dallas Blogger Brunch x Sitter Needed

This past weekend  I attended a fun Dallas Blogger Brunch hosted by Rhonda Jenkins and sponsored by Sitter Needed. I had the pleasure of meeting Rhonda at a previous coffee meetup and this girl knows how to get people together! If you are familiar with Rhonda and her Dallas Blogger Brunches you already know how fabulous her events are. I was super excited when I heard this brunch would include other mom bloggers and that we would have a special guest Jennifer Dickson talking about Sitter Needed.

CoffeeandSweats.com, DallasBloggerBrunch, SitterNeeded

Jennifer and Rhonda Picture Credit: Devon Tabor

I mean look at the tablescape I noticed as soon as I walked in.

Check out the gorgeous flowers from @OliveGroveDesign

 

I love a good table setting. Also, I love my name monogrammed on everything. It may have something to do with never finding my name on a key-chain as a kid so just monogram my name on anything and I will be thrilled.

Brunch was at Sixty Vines – I’ve been there before and I’m always impressed with their food. It’s not just delicious food but it’s the presentation too. Look at the hummus and pita bread presented in a rolling pin! Am I easily impressed? Maybe, but I was lowkey trying to find a way to hide that rolling pin in my bag.

red beet hummus & edamame hummus

Toasts – sea salt ciabatta with avocado & togarashi, brie & candied dates, raclette & tomato bacon jam

CoffeeandSweats.com Dallas Blogger Brunch Sitter Needed

With Abbie  of Plano Moms and Teia  of Dallas Single Mom Photo Credit: Devon Tabor

During the brunch I got the opportunity to learn about Sitter Needed – an on-demand babysitting service staffed by nursing students. The nursing students are all CPR trained and background checked and have already committed to a profession of caring for others.  It’s a concept that Jennifer came up with while she herself, was in nursing school. After becoming a mother Jennifer saw the demand that families have for reliable caregivers and finally brought her idea to life. I love the concept of having someone do all the hard work of finding someone trustworthy and interviewing them for me. I hope to use this service sometime soon (hello much needed date night) and will report back to you guys!

CoffeeandSweats DallasBloggerBrunch SitterNeeded

Jennifer talking about Sitter Needed Picture Credit: Devon Tabor

 

Coffee and Sweats Dallas Blogger Brunch Sitter Needed

Coffee and Sweats Dallas Blogger Brunch Sitter Needed

It was a fun event talking to other bloggers and mothers –  It’s like two of my tribes collided into a table of yummy food and drinks! Can’t wait for the next one.

November 25, 2015 by: Nusrat

Thankful For Mom Friends

I hate awkward pauses. Especially ones where a table full of people are looking at me waiting for an answer and I got nothing.

So awkward.

Still nothing.

Thanksgiving break brings old friends around. Everyone is home for the holiday so it’s a great time to meet and catch up. Sitting at a bar we used to frequent often, I was having a great time with some of my old college friends and people I hung out with before I got married. I admit that after moving out of state right after the wedding, I hadn’t done a good job of keeping in touch with friends. So this was a fun night for me, several of these faces I hadn’t seen in years.

Some of my friends had new jobs or had recently become homeowners. Some of us were single, recently engaged or newlyweds. But only one of us had kids, though.

That would be me. 

Maybe I should have prepared a little so I wouldn’t be so caught off guard. I was just excited to have a few hours to myself carrying a cute little purse instead of a diaper bag.

So it was inevitable that at some point, someone would turn to me and ask,

“So what’s new with you?”

The truth was there was nothing new with me. One of the worst things about seeing old friends is having absolutely nothing new to tell them. 

I wanted to say that I’m a stay at home mom. I wear the same pair of jeans every timeI leave the house. I wear my hair in a big messy bun because I do not have the time or energy to blow dry it.

Work? No, I’m not working right now. Well, I’m technically working all the damn time but I don’t think they would understand what I meant by that.

Travel? It’s hard enough to go down the street to the grocery store with two young kids, you think I’m about to do some international flight with them? Do you have any idea how much STUFF these kids need?  No Caribbean vacations coming up for me anytime soon.

“Oh, you know..nothing new.”

That was my lame answer. Nothing new. Nothing exciting. The fact that my toddler tells me he needs his diaper changed the moment he poops instead of sitting on it and smooshing it in, is the best thing that’s happened to me lately. He is so ready for potty training! That’s exciting, right? 

And suddenly I longed for my Mom friends. I had joined a Mom’s group when I moved. I had no friends and I found a group of women who had babies born the same year my son was. Mom friends sympathize with every detail of your labor and the c-section you didn’t really want. They get how tired you are. They don’t judge your unwashed, frizzy hair. Mom friends can talk at length about leaky boobs and sleep regression.

Thankful for Mom Friends

I opted to drive home instead of moving on to the next bar and I thought about how much I had changed since the last time I was here. I had essentially traded in my cocktails for coffee and my designer jeans for sweatpants. I was the same person but so much more blessed than I ever was before. 

I was thankful for the child-free friends who still make an effort to keep in touch with me. And now, I was thankful for the awesome women who also have no clue what they’re doing, as they go through this motherhood journey with me. It’s difficult not to compare myself to my old friends, though. I’ve traded in promotions for potty training and put my career on pause. It was the career pause that I had the most difficulty with. So much of our self-identity is measured by job titles, promotions, and raises. There was a tangible result of all the hard work you put in.

I get home past the kid’s bedtime and look at them snuggled in bed. I was so thankful for the two babies that changed me more than I could have ever imagined. And without any hesitation I realized.

Some pauses are not awkward at all.

Thankful for Mom Friends

www.coffeeandsweats.com

October 16, 2015 by: Nusrat

State Fair of Texas with Kids

State Fair of Texas - With Kids

The State Fair of Texas is here! I’m always excited to go to the Fair but this year I was a little apprehensive because it would be my first time attending with the kids. The last time I went to the State Fair I went on a weekend, rode a couple of roller coaster rides, ate almost every fried food there was and played games until the place closed down.

This year, not so much. Here is a list of Do’s & Don’ts for taking your young kids to the State Fair of Texas, based on my experience last week.

State Fair of Texas

I’m shielding him from OU

Do: Go during the weekdays to avoid the crowds. Thursday afternoon was perfect for us. No lines anywhere and plenty of room to walk with a stroller.  We did notice a lot more people started coming in later in the afternoon when it was cooler and most kids were getting out of school.

Don’t: Go during the hottest part of the day. We reached there around 1 pm and even though we were armed with sunscreen, hats and sunglasses, it was still a sunny 91F outside. Kids (and adults) don’t last very long outside in the heat.

Do: Check out the daily discounts for admission. For example, you could bring in an empty Dr. Pepper can on Tuesdays and get in for $5. Kids under 3 are free and most school districts provide school children with a free ticket. Use it!  There are also senior discounts and lots of retailers sell advance purchase discounts. Spend your money for all the fun inside the fair not for admission.

Don’t: Eat a lot of fried food within five minutes of walking into the Fair. Thanks to Rambo’s amazing self control we bought the first fried food we saw – a cookies and cream funnel cake. It was delicious, entirely too big and it filled us up, so we didn’t feel like eating anything else for a long time. And really, funnel cake? You can eat those anywhere. Save room in your belly for the Big Tex Choice Awards.

Cookies & Cream Funnel Cake at the State Fair of Texas

Yes, I’d do it again.

Speaking of the Big Tex Choice Awards….

Do: Eat at least one thing that won an award this year! Eating Fair Food is what the Texas State Fair is all about. This year, Fernie’s Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly won for Best Tasting and I can’t describe how good it was. Here is an excerpt from the State Fair website to give you an idea.

“Golden-baked bread swirled with cinnamon has been flattened and filled with moist carrot cake, plump raisins and crunchy julienned carrots. Rolled with a light coating of cream cheese and then breaded in a mixture of panko, graham crackers, cinnamon and nutmeg – holy moly this is far from your typical dessert! Drizzled with cream cheese frosting and lightly dusted with powdered sugar, this divine confection is served with extra caramel on the side as well as a caramel macchiato cream sauce.”  

Winner of 2015 Best Tasting at the Texas State Fair

I have no words

Do: Bring a stroller. We brought along our Baby Jogger stroller with the Glider board for the preschooler to ride on when his legs were tired. I got stopped several times by people telling me how awesome the glider board attachment was. Strollers can also be rented out and you can bring in your own wagons too. Little legs can’t walk so far and the Fairgrounds are big.

Don’t:  Try to do everything. There are over 100 performances daily at the Fair. Between the Auto show, live music, animal stunts, rides, games, food, cook-offs & shopping there is no way you can do it all in one day. Pick and choose what your family will enjoy the most and hit those up.

Do: Expect to spend a lot of time at the Kidway area of the Midway. That’s where the little kid rides and scaled down games are. Nice thing is that every kid wins a prize. So the preschooler thought he was awesome and ‘really, really good’ at shooting water at a target.

Midway Games at the State Fair of Texas

I lost count how many times they played this one game.

Don’t: Forget to buy a Big Tex Game card if you want to play games at the Midway. It costs $10 for 20 credits. Most games were 10 credits so about $5/game. Those 50 cent coupons are only good for food and rides.

Do: Check out the Children’s Health Barnyard where you can feed farm animals and other not so farm animals. Like Camels and Zebu’s. Be sure to secure your overly excited toddler from trying to open the gates and going inside the animal pen.

Don’t: Feed the Giraffe. They drool. I saw a lady with her hands cupped full of Giraffe drool and I nearly threw up. Barnyard smells – all good. Giraffe drool? Vom.

Do: Check out Little Hands on the Farm. It was adorable. The kids got a hands on experience of how farmers grow food. They got to feed chickens, collect eggs, plant seeds, harvest crops and drive a miniature tractor. Super cute. Fun enough to change the preschooler’s future vocation from Ninja to Farmer.

Little Hands on the Farm at the State Fair of Texas

Harvesting their crops

Do: Take a ride on the Top o’ Texas Tower. It’s that giant thing I’m sitting in front of in the first picture. It very slowly goes 500 feet into the air and again, very slowly rotates all around so you get magnificent views of Dallas and surrounding areas. The kids loved it. It was one of the few rides we could all go on together so I loved it too.

View from Top o' Texas ride

See the plane?

Maybe next year I will be able to take a picture of the Cotton Bowl Stadium filled with people? But then I’d have to go to the Fair on Game day and it will be insane. Maybe not then.

Cotton Bowl view

Empty Cotton Bowl

So it was a very different experience this year but still a lot of fun. I wish I could have seen the Starlight Parade that comes on at 7:15 pm but there was no way the kids would have lasted that long. They were nice and exhausted from a full day of fun.  I think I will get a season’s pass for next year because they keep asking me when we’re going to go back to the Fair!

Have you been to the State Fair with young kids? Any must-see attractions that I missed?

State Fair of Texas - With Kids

May 4, 2015 by: Nusrat

Let’s Talk about Sex Baby

Let's Talk about Sex Baby

Hey Board of Education! Let’s talk high school Sex Education classes. No need to show videos of the human reproductive system or use scare tactics about sexually transmitted diseases. Just have a camera crew follow me around for a day. I assure you, teenagers will be so turned off, no one will have sex ever.

Let’s take today for instance. A camera crew would have captured me being jolted awake to the howling screams of a preschooler at 6 a.m. Why? Oh, because he woke up and that’s what he does EVERY SINGLE MORNING. I can’t blame him for not being a morning person, though – I think he got that gene from me.

The camera would then zoom in on the clingy toddler with a 103°F fever. The students would be able to see how gracefully I held down his limbs and held his head in place with one hand while injecting a syringe full of Ibuprofen into his mouth with the other. They could have seen him spit it out all over his face, his clothes, and the pillow while screaming his lungs out. The whole process would be repeated again an hour later with antibiotics.

Then, of course, follows the leaky diarrhea diaper (thanks, antibiotics!). Diarrhea all over the bed sheets, his clothes, and my clothes.

Cut to me changing the leaky diarrhea diaper and toddler grabbing his penis the moment it springs free, smearing diarrhea all over his hands. The camera would zoom in on chubby toddler legs kicking my boobs as I try to fold up diaper with one hand while simultaneously trying to  grab his diarrhea hands before he touches his face.

At this point, I will look straight into the camera and chant my mantra “FML. FML. FML”

Chanting is interrupted by preschooler asking his 427th question about garbage trucks and how they work. But How? But Why? Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Cut to the time. Is it already 10 a.m? Insert a scene of sick, cranky, toddler having a meltdown because he needs a nap and me looking into an empty linen closet because the laundry has not been done and there are no sheets to put on the bed.

The students would then witness me attempting to negotiate with the Preschooler when he yells out “I’m hungry! Can we get McDonald’s?” Is it noon already? Show scene of preschooler refusing to eat anything I give him because it is NOT McDonald’s.

Pissed off preschooler now pulls out his PlayDoh!  Cut to little PlayDoh crumbs all over kitchen table and floor. Show toddler making a run for the pieces of PlayDoh and throwing a tantrum on the floor because I swept up the pieces before he could shove them into his mouth.

Cut back to the time. 2 p.m and me still in my pajamas frantically texting Rambo asking him when he’s coming home.

The camera would do a slow fade out showing the chaotic mess that is my home. The glazed over look on my face as one crying kid pulls on my leg and the other crying kid reaches out for my boobs. Big block letters would scroll across the screen reading

THIS IS YOUR LIFE AFTER SEX.

Teen pregnancy rates would plummet. Pretty effective if I do say so myself.

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