My daughter is part Irish, Swedish, German, and Cat. That's as in meow. She gets that gene from my side of the family. I love, love, love back scratches and massages of any kind. I don't care who the person is ... friend, family, man, woman, stranger, serial killer ... or on which part of my body ... back, head, toes ... I curl up into a ball and melt into pleasure at the slightest touch of nails on my skin.

So of course, the bedtime ritual at my house always is, "Mommy, can you rub me?" "Mommy, you forgot to rub me!' "Mooommmy, I'm not going to sleep unless you rub me!!!"

Photo by martinsmom2008

We're going to a wedding next month and my best friend is watching my son all weekend. She adores her godson, and doesn't expect payment, but I'm going to offer anyway because she's giving up an entire two days for us.

Knowing her, she probably won't accept, for the same reason I never bother to offer to pay my own mom for babysitting.

A poll in Advice for Moms finds that only 12 percent pay their parents to babysit when they go to work or out for the night. Apparently, many grandparents feel this way:

namie1

My son started acting out the day he first met his baby sister at the hospital. He was not pleased. He became moody, beligerant, and uncooperative almost immediately.

It was obvious he was jealous and did it for attention, because for a toddler, attention equals love. He wanted to be sure that love wasn't going to get all sucked up by this crinkly little thing in my arms.

Every toddler reacts to a new sibling differently. Some accept it with open arms, but more often they turn envious. Some even act this way before the baby comes, as in the case of ConnorsMom03, who's expecting a girl in the fall. Her 2 year old son is morphing back into a infant.

Photo by Kscwrcsmom

I've heard of countless ways to get children to give up the pacifier. But none are quite as creative as these binky weaning methods from MomLogic:

• In Denmark, toddlers donate their old pacifiers to the zoo...Why?

Photo by lpalady

I know the toddler "fear phase" is pretty much textbook; however, I don't remember my older son going through it when he was two or three years old.

So now I'm worried my younger son, almost 3, and his current fear phase might be all our fault.

Photo by LOHood

Getting a new baby brother or sister is a huge change for a toddler. Here are some links I love that may help you prepare:

Is this the last straw?

Unless you live under a rock (or a pile of plastic toddler toys), you've heard the news or seen the pictures of our favorite toddler dad, Jon Gosselin, coming home from a club with a mystery lady "friend."

If you haven't heard, crawl out from under that Tonka truck and read all about the Jon & Kate dad's cheating in Entertainment Buzz.

To really get into the discussion and share your views about whether Jon deserves some fun away from the madness or whether this seals the fate of Season 5, check out these groups (you'll need to join and become members, but it's so worth it).

Jon & Kate Plus 8 Objections to the Show

Jon & Kate Plus 8 Fans

TRUE Jon and Kate plus 8 fans

Oh, and don't think this is a once-sided discussion, either. Jon has plenty of defenders. One mom has a really good take on the situation:

Photo by LIVINGWITHADHD

Parents spend about 30 minutes more daily quality time with their firstborn children than younger children in the same age bracket, according to new research from Brigham Young University.

Other studies have focused more on how birth order effects the way kids turn out. They've found that firstborns tend to have higher IQs, do better in school and on the job, and are more conscientious, while later-born kids are more likely to be rebellious, liberal and agreeable.

Only lately have I really found this to be true with my own kids. Although my goal is to treat both of my children the same, including the amount of attention I dole out, this is not the case. My son, the firstborn, is sensitive and less confident, and needs more time and reassurance, while my 4 year old daughter is fairly independent and less demanding.

Photo by lilysmommy8503

There was a recent poll in The CafeMom Newcomers Club asking moms if they kiss their babies on the mouth -- and, overwhelmingly -- almost 90 percent said always, yes, yuppers, and I sure do! 

I was in the minority on that one. I wasn't a big baby-lip kisser when my tots were infants because, well, they didn't do it right. Babies can't pucker, and when I'd place my lips over theirs, all I got was a sip of cold sloppy drool. Precious drool, yes, but drool nonetheless.

Today, I smother my toddlers with a lot more lip-smackers, but most of the time my kisses land on their foreheads, cheeks, and once in a while, even their bellies.

As I stopped to consider why I don't kiss my kids on the lips that much, an anonymous mom came up with one possible explanation:

Photo by tribalinklady

Not to take away from all the hugs and kisses that are going around as we ramp up for V Day, but this is Toddler Buzz. If you have two toddlers, they may trade more harsh words and punches than affection at times. I hold up my own son and daughter as Exhibit A.

How do you keep the peace, Momma? Are you a UN negotiator, hovering and directing your children away from the hostilities? Or, do you sit back and let them battle it out?

I have a friend who, as long as her two kids were not literally "killing" one another, would turn away and let her young toddlers figure out who should get that toy or offer up the apology. It wasn't pretty, but she swears it worked. She claims her kiddos are like diplomats now.