Parenting 101- Teaching Good Behavior

Miss Manners

I have mulled over this topic for a long time because I find this is a very broad subject that ranges from tolerance vs acceptance to bullying, respect and manners. I think the best way to handle this subject is to break it up into several shorter articles.
So for my first installment, I want to discuss  modeling good behavior or teaching by example. This, in my opinion, is really the key to teaching kids how to be good people. The old adage "Do as I say not as I do," does not really work. Sure, we all have our moments and no parent is perfect, but you can't behave one way and think that magically your kids will behave any differently.
If you want your kids to have good manners such as saying please and thank you and holding the door for elders you need to use these behaviors as well. Of course you need to teach them what to do and remind them, but you must remember they are watching when you least expect it.
I remember years ago, a friend of mine told me how she was taken back when her then four-year-old corrected her for not being polite at the butcher shop. For her order she said "I would take four pork chops." Her son thought she was rude because at home he would have been required to say "May I have four pork chops, please?" This seems like such a little difference, and knowing my friend I'm sure she did not have a rude tone with the butcher, but her child picked up on it.
I also feel it's important to treat your kids with the same respect as you want them to treat you. This  statement can easily be misunderstood. I do not mean that children should be treated like friends; I am a strong believer that it is a parent's responsibility to teach and guide his or her child. However, children are people and all people deserve a certain amount of respect such as consideration of their feelings or fears, using manners when being talked to, being talked to not just talked at and being listened to. I do listen to my kids objections when they I give them orders, but it doesn't mean they get out of it. I often tell them "I'm sorry you feel that way, but it still needs to be done." (And yes, this is often followed by an ultimatum or incentive, however you want to look at it.) Yet other times their objections are due to a misunderstanding and once that is cleared they have no problem completing the task at hand.
I also feel that part of respecting your children and teaching them to be be better people is admitting fault and apologizing if need be. Years ago, this concept was considered taboo. There were two rules when it came to parent-child relations. Rule #1 the parent is always right. Rule #2 if the parent is wrong see rule #1. I feel, however, if you admit your mistakes to your kids it will teach them that no one is perfect and save them from a lot of undo stress. It is important though to teach them that it is also their responsibility o to fix what can be fixed in the situation and accept whatever consequences occur. (In other words, let them know apologizing is not always a free pass.)
Teaching by example is not something that stops when your kids leave the nest. I am an adult and a parent myself, yet I still learn from the examples my parents set everyday. They are very kind and giving and they are generous of their time, means and abilities. They never think twice about helping out someone in need and never expect the favor returned. This is the type of person I strive to be and I desire it for my children as well. My parents did not harp on me about this, it was just the way they were and continue to be. They did include me by having me and my siblings take things to neighbors or drive my grandmother to the store or a number of other things. It was not always what I would have chose to do at the time, but they went about it in such a way that I grew up thinking that this was the way everyone behaves and treats others. (I have since found out that is not always the case- but it should be.) There were some things that were required as a matter of politeness that I did not enjoy such as sending thank you notes, but I am the better for it. Now there are times I am sometimes given an odd look when I offer to help someone in need, especially if I do not know them well, but I really don't mind. I mean would you rather be considered that too helpful person or that rude one?

Awesome Crocs Sale through Zulily!

Crocs are a great summer shoe for kids and adults alike. Right now Zulily for as low as $12.99 thru Friday!

I love Crocs for my little ones because they slip on easily, can handle getting wet yet dry quickly and clean fairly nicely. (There's nothing easier then hosing them off they've been through a mud puddle.)

There is also a reason when you are in the hospital a good majority of the nurses are wearing them- they are super comfy and have great support. Whether you're a nurse, work in fast food or a mom on the go if you're on your feet all day is may be hard to find a more comfy shoe.

If you're new to Zulily.com they have great prices on designer kids clothes and gear. What makes this deal extra special it includes Crocs for women and men, too, not just kids.




Thanks Couponing to Disney !

Mommy Tip: Summer outing bag

Summer is definitely here and it is a great time of the year to go on spontaneous outings. However, every mom (and dad for that matter) knows once that first baby is born spontaneity seems to be the first thing that flies out the window. Even if your child doesn't have a rigorous schedule or is too old or a nap/feeding schedule packing everything you need for even a short day trip can cut the down on the fun-time. So my suggestion is to have a day-trip bag ready to go. If you already carry a diaper bag, you can either update it with these important summer items or have a separate bag with seasonal items so your diaper bag isn't too big or heavy. The summer bag should be kept either in an area to grab easily or in the family car.

Here are the items that should be kept in the bag:

• Sunscreen
• Bug spray/citronella/ or listerine in a spray bottle (in other words something for bugs that you are comfortable using)
• Sun hats (or hats with a brim) for each member of the family. This is especially important for babies who cannot use sunscreen yet or anyone with thin or little hair.
• Antibacterial hand gel
• Antibacterial wipes (such as Wet Ones Antibacterial) baby wipes aren't necessarily antibacterial plus these types of wipes don't tend to sting as badly as first aide antibacterial wipes if you need to clean out a scraped knee or elbow until you can get to soap and water)
• Small First Aide kit containing:

• band-aides (various sizes)
• an antibiotic ointment or spray (such as neosporin)
• cotton balls
• tweezers
• medical tape
• eye drops or eye wash
• benedryl cream and/ or tablets or liquid (depending on your family's needs)

Other things you may want to have in your bag:

• spare clothes for at least the kids if not everyone
• bathing suits
• nonperishable (or long non-refrigerated) snacks (such as jerky, fruit leather/fruit snacks/chews, granola bars, crackers, nuts/trail mix make sure all is age appropriate for your kids)
• empty sippy cup or bottle (if age appropriate)
• packets of water flavor or enchancers (such as mio, crystal light, kool-aide, propel, etc.)

You want to keep some of these items in a special spot your fridge or kitchen hand have a small portable cooler accessible if you will out long or to save money on stopping for drinks to keep your family hydrated.

• water bottles (or refillable water bottles)
• fruit such as apples, oranges and grapes
• other drinks such as juice boxes or soda (IF you normally drink them)

Here are some things you may want to keep in your car trunk so you are always prepared:

• A throw blanket or vinyl table cloth (For some of the many uses for the blanket click here)
• an umbrella or rain ponchos
• plastic grocery bags (for garbage, wet clothes, stinky diapers or countless other uses)
• An old towel or two (you just never know how useful it may prove)
• paper towels and/or facial tissues 

My grandparents were sticklers for hand washing. They lived before antibacterial hand gel and wipes and I'm pretty sure liquid hand soap was invented once they were pretty old. So, they always kept in the trunk of their car an empty milk jug filled with tap water, a nylon stocking with a bar of soap tied inside and a roll of paper towels. That way if your only bathroom was an outhouse, you were going to eat a picnic, pic berries or if you just wanted to clean up you could. 

Keep your summer skeeter free

Summer is right around the corner and unfortunately those pesky mosquitos are already here. There are few simply tricks to keep those nasty bloodsuckers at bay. Mosquitos breed in damp places and standing water so scour your yard and porch for places that collect water like buckets, wheelbarrows and garbage cans and either store them upside down or add drainage holes if possible. If your landscaping includes water features that do not have plants or fish in them adding chlorine bleach will keep the mosquitos away and it is much cheaper than pool chlorine. (Check with a garden center or pet shop before adding any chemicals to a pond or water feature that contains live plants, fish or reptiles.) This works great for small kiddy pools too. Just dump in some bleach when your kids are done playing for the evening. It is still a good idea to change the water every week or two as needed.
Once the breeding areas have been gotten rid of you need to keep other skeeters from flying into your yard. The safest and most effective way that I have discovered is spraying around entrance doors, the patio and play area with Listerine. Yes, Listerine, the mouthwash. Last summer I wrote an article about it and how I discovered it and I planned on linking you to it. However, in one of my redesigns I deleted the page and apparently did not save a copy or at least not in a place where I can find it. So, I will give a brief overview.
I received a forwarded email a few years ago that claimed if you spray Listerine outside around doors (avoid directly spraying on woodwork) and around areas like your patio and swing set the mosquitos will stay away. I tried it without telling my skeptical husband and he noticed the difference. You do need to repeat about once a week or so or after a rain, but it does work. Although I do not notice the mosquitos fly immediately away, like the email claimed but I do notice they do leave and do not come back if I keep it sprayed. I have used a generic brand and it works just as well and either are much cheaper than using bug spray (for the same coverage) and I don't worry about my kids or pets breathing in a little mouthwash. As far as I know it hasn't caused any of the scary side effects that deet (a chemical in many commercial mosquito sprays) does.
If you still get bit before you scratch and tear the skin open, wet the bite and sprinkle with salt and let dry then brush off. As long as the skin is not open it will not hurt or sting. Or apply a baking soda paste to the bite and let dry. These will help draw the venom out and therefore reduce the itching. For bee stings applying a baking soda paste or tenderizing salt (applied like regular salt as described for mosquito bites) will help draw out the venom and speed healing times.

Looking for graduation, teacher or end of school gifts?

Looking for a gift for as the school year ends? Then head on over to BarnesandNoble.com for inspiring children's books about moving up, moving an and following your dreams. While you're there don't forget a gift for your favorite teacher. A new addition to her or his classroom library is always a welcome gift. Books also make great end of school/good job gifts for kids because they encourage summer reading and continued learning. But hurry cause this deal ends June 15,2011.
 Children's Books For Graduation :Save up to 45%!

Mommy Tip- Keep a blanket in your car

I always keep an old, but clean throw blanket in my in the trunk of my mini van and it gets used more than you might guess. I originally put it in there one winter just in case I broke down and needed to keep warm. I haven't needed it for that... yet. Since I have two young children I now keep two blankets in the trunk since they don't take up much room. Here are the ways I have used my blankets:

• To cover a tired or cold child- this works great when you've been on the go all day and your child is over tired and won't fall asleep in his car-seat. (Even kids that don't normally carry a blankie)
• To protect my seat's leather or trunk carpet when transporting something, big, sharp or dirty
• To make a soft bed in a shopping cart (I have one who sleeps who like the dead and has gone through more than one grocery trip sound asleep in one cart while I pulled another cart full of groceries.)
• As an impromptu picnic blanket
• A place to lay a young baby for tummy time in the park
• To hold up for privacy so one of my kids can change clothes
• A place to sit during a parade when we've forgotten our lawn chairs
• To wrap up with during a sporting event- especially during kids' sports games when the weather is always cold or raining on game day or at least it seems to be.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With This Simple Recipe

Several months ago I discovered a recipe for Green Chili Enchilada Casserole on familyfun.com, but it was a bit time consuming for a normal weeknight dinner for me. Although the recipe said the sauce could be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, tomatillos if found at all in my area usually cost a small fortune. So, I did some doctoring up and I made my own version with the help of some store bought foods (like the way Sandra Lee does on Tastefully Simple.) Since I cook by experimenting and tasting and a whole lot of trial and error not all my measurements are exact, but this recipe is so easy there really is no right or wrong other than what you think tastes good. 

The first thing I changed was that I substituted the homemade tomatillo sauce for a store bought in a jar sauce. The only brand I could find was Ortega Mild Green Taco Sauce. (16 oz jar), but you could use what ever brand of tomatillo sauce (also known as salsa verde) that you like. I originally started out with about 2 jars, but since my husband sometimes like to have extra I like to have a third jar on hand. (Since this recipe has become a family favorite I usually have one opened jar in the fridge for dipping or using with tacos or other recipes and 2 jars for the recipe.)

The original recipe also calls for soft corn tortillas. For the first several times I made this I did use the corn, however the last time I was not thinking and I grabbed the flour tortillas out of the fridge. My family raved and raved like it was the first time I made it. Later I figured out my mistake, so I have decided to stick with the flour tortillas.  

Also this is a great way of using left over cooked chicken or you can boil a couple boneless chicken breasts if you don't have any cooked chicken on hand or in the freezer.

So here is my recipe:

Easy Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2-3 jars green taco sauce, salsa verde or tomatillo sauce (16 oz. each jar)

12 (6 inch) corn or flour tortillas

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 1/2 C grated Cheddar*

1 1/2 C grated Monterey Jack*  

1/2 C finely chopped onion

Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl combine the shredded chicken, 1/2 cup of the tomatillo sauce, half of the Cheddar, half of the Monterey Jack and the onion. Mix well. Spread 1/3 of the remaining tomatillo sauce in the bottom of 9"x13" baking dish. ( I use the what is left in the jar from which I took the 1/2 cup.) Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the other tortillas. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with the rest of the cheese.  Bake in a 375F oven about 20-30 minutes or until the enchiladas are heated and the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Makes 6-8 servings.

*You can use any combination of these cheeses or even use Colby-Jack just have the total amount of cheese equal 3 cups and use 1 1/2 cups for the filling and the remaining 1 1/2 cups for the topping.

Kids Clean Up Part 2: Keeping it clean

Today is the second in my two part series of getting your kids to clean up their toys. Yesterday, I talked about organization of toys so that they had a place to belong and streamlining the amount of toys so there wasn't so many to deal with it. If you missed it you can check it out here. 


Now that the toys all have a home we can talk about how to keep them picked up and put away. I think the key to most parenting issues is consistency. When it comes to getting the toys picked up a good part of it is warnings, reminders and regular pick up times. Wait, I know I promised yesterday that you wouldn't sound like a nag, so please just hear me out. 


What I have discovered over the years is any toys left out (especially in their rooms where I'm not the one tripping over it) when the kids leave the room will most likely stay left out and we all know that clutter mysteriously multiplies quickly leaving you with a horrible mess. So, in order to avoid this give your kids a 10-15 minute warning and tell them it is clean up time. If you wait until dinnertime, bedtime or time to walk out the door it will only add stress and most likely the toys will be left out. But if about 10 -15 minutes before the next activity you establish pick up time as a transition things will go much smoother, especially if you are consistent and make this a habit. 


Also start random cleaning up sessions. With my kids I called it a "10 Second Tidy" like on the Big Comfy Couch. When you notice that they have moved on to a toy or two and the previous ones are still left out have everyone stop what they are playing with and put everything away. Yes, everything including the current playthings. (Of course you can use discretion if the kids are working on an intricate puzzle or complicated Leggo creation, but find a way for it to be up or away without being destroyed.) Your kids will resist this, but in my experience when we stop and clean up and I allow them to leave the current toy out about 80% of the time it remains out and they do not go back to it. Once everything is picked up they can get it back out and continue playing. These random checks help keep small messes from turning into huge disaster areas.


The biggest part of getting them to do it without argument is to make it fun. First off I know too well if Mom is dreading clean up time, the kids are definitely not going to want to do it either, so try to add some variety and make it as fun as possible. Here are some ways to make cleaning less of a chore and more of a game:

• Set a timer and see how much can get done before it goes off
• Pick a random number and have everyone pick up that many toys (such as 11 or 27)
• If your kids are competitive have a race to see who can pick up their number of toys first, or who can pick up the most before the timer goes off
• Assign each kid a color of toy to pick up. This is a little more interesting than having Sally pick up all the blocks and Johnny pick up all the cars.

Even if you are successful in establishing these habits, you and your kids will have to periodically throw away broken toys, give away out grown or unloved toys and go through artwork and school work in order to keep the kids' stuff from taking over the entire house.  A member of the Flylady's crew, Kelly, has kid challenges in which she gives kids a special cleaning mission. These range from walk around your house and find all of your books that are laying around and put them away to find 10 toys that you no longer play with and give them to mom or dad to bless someone else with. You can make up your own missions or you can just use Kelly's. Even if you don't want to follow the Flylady plan yourself you can check out what the Flykid challenge is on Kelly's facebook page.

Like anything else it will probably take time to establish these habits in both yourself and your kids. It will also take consistency, so don't give up if you have a bad day, just jump back in. 

Thank you Flylady and Flylady Kelly

Kids Clean Up Part 1: Organization

I think one challenge most parents face is getting kids to pick up their toys and keep them clean. My house is far from perfect and I do pick up toys several times a day, but over the years I have learned some tips that should be helpful. Since this is a fairly broad subject I decided to break up into two parts. I feel that before you make kids accountable for keeping their stuff picked up, they need to have places to put it. The old saying "A place for everything and everything in its place," says it all, but sometimes finding the right kinds of places to put the toys is the hard part. So for part one we are going to discuss organizing toys, tomorrow I will share ideas on how to get your kids to clean up without feeling like a constant nag. (Check out part 2 by clicking here.)
Years ago, I read somewhere a great tip about organizing, and that is not to buy containers until you go through everything first. If you have spent a bunch of money on containers or time making them you may keep things just to have something to put in the boxes. Also, by knowing what you need to store you know what size containers and what type of container will be the most helpful.  So first, sort through all the toys, books and other kid stuff. The first sorting is not necessarily finding places for things but deciding what to keep. If your kids are like mine they have way more toys than they actually play with. 
Depending on the ages and personalities of you kids you may or may not want them around when you do this. It could be a good opportunity to teach them how about blessing others with and that the less stuff to clean up the more time there is to play. (Both are what Flylady and Flylady Kelly teach.) My kids are such pack rats they had a hard time getting rid of stuff like Happy Meal toys that they played with in the car home then got thrown in the room, so this kind of stuff I got rid of when they weren't around. Toys that are expensive or special may need your child's input as far as what to do with to show respect and to teach giving and caring for our belongings. Some toys you may decide to pack up in totes and save for your grandchildren, and that is OK if you have the space and you don't pack up everything in storage, just the special stuff.

Art supplies

But wait, we are getting ahead of ourselves. When you go through the toys for the first time have 3 boxes or bags handy to divide the stuff into:
1. Stuff that is broken that can't or won't get fixed. (ultimately the trash)
2. Stuff to give away
2. Stuff to keep
 If box number two is difficult you can make it "stuff that has been out grown" then go back and decide what should be packed up and what could bless someone else.

Now that you have the toys, books, games and such that you are keeping it is time to organize it. How you do this and just what type of storage system you use is dependent on your house and the space you have, the types of toys you have and your taste preferences. Start by dividing the toys into groups. Try to put all toys that are similar together for example: all dolls, all cars/trucks, all blocks. Then the groups can be broken down further if necessary for example small matchbox type cars would be in a small box but larger push Tonka-style toys may be put in a large box/tote, on a shelf or in toy box.

Trucks

Once the toys are organized the biggest key is labeling the containers that way everyone knows what goes where and what is inside (if your containers are not transparent) so things don't get dumped while looking for a specific toy. If your kids are young and can't read yet, or even if they can, you can either take photos of what is inside each box, or draw or print out clip art of the types of toys and stick it to the container. (The pictures on this page are examples of things you could print out as lables) I like to label the side of the container and the lid if it has one. 

Dolls

Plastic containers, totes, baskets, fabric pins and so on are all great for organizing and storing toys but they can be expensive. This is a time to think outside the box (pun intended). Many household items can be recycled or repurposed to hold toys and such- just be creative. Egg cartons can hold lots of small things such as beads or art supplies. Other things that you may have laying around the house that would work for organizing toys are: baby wipe containers, margarine/cool whip containers, breath mint boxes, large diaper boxes, and plastic baby food containers. (Glass baby food jars aren't very safe to have for kids' toys, but Gerber now sells varieties of baby food in clear plastic boxes with lids that are excellent for storing small things.) For more inexpensive organizing ideas check out this article by By C.M. Vanderlinden on hubpages. 


Here are more resources and ideas:

• A great step by step tutorial for turning diaper boxes into fabric storage containers can be found on Saving Addiction
• Here is an article showing how to make your own collapsible fabric storage boxes.
• Tip Junkie shares five free patterns for storage containers that she has found.
• Family Fun has a whole bunch of crafts designed to help organize kids' rooms. You can find a list of all the projects here. 

Part 2- Getting Kids to clean up can be found here

*Special Thanks to Flylady, Flylady Kelly, Saving Addiction, Hub Pages and Tip Junkie*

Recipe Make-over: short cut au gratin potatoes

I absolutely love au gratin potatoes, but I rarely make them.  Besides not being the lowest in fat and calories, the biggest drawback for me is the time it takes to bake them. Most of the recipes I have tried take 1- 1 1/2 hours to bake which is entirely too much time for weekday side dish, well at least for my family's schedule it is. Sure, there are the boxed potatoes, but I personally don't think they taste as good as homemade, not to mention additives, preservatives and the other fun stuff from convenience foods.
Well I have discovered a way to cut the baking time down to 25- 30 minutes! Simply scrub the potatoes and before peeling them, microwave them. (Don't forget to pierce potatoes with a fork before microwaving so the steam can escape.) Then once they have cooled enough to handle, or using a fork to hold them, peel and slice then continue with you favorite recipe.
Another tip I discovered is before baking cover the potatoes with greased foil- just spray with non-stick spray. Then, remove the foil for the last five minutes of bake time so that the edges brown up a bit.
My family raved about these short cut au gratins. They even liked them better than the long baked original.

Websites I Recently Discovered

Stumble Upon

Stumble Upon is a site I was introduced to by my husband who learned about it from our nephew. It's a website in which you let them know your interests (check boxes next to all kinds of categories) and then it suggests sites for you. You can then give the sites thumbs up or down so it can learn your preferences and suggest more accurate sites. They also make it easy to share your discoveries through several social networking sites. There is also an android app to can download for free and link to your computer account so it has your preferences in it already. 

Check out Stumble Upon by clicking this link.

Life Tips

Life Tips is a site I found through stumbleupon.com. It led me to the cooking measurements and equivalents page. That in itself was pretty cool. It didn't have too many of the normal equivalents like the numbers of cups in a pint, but it did have some helpful info such as how many cups of sugar equal a pound, or how many mini marshmallows is the equivalent to one large marshmallow. When I further explored the site I discovered that this was just the top of the iceberg. Life Tips has TONS of subjects to find more information about and each of those subject also has several sub-categories, so can finds on just about anything. Also, if you are a writer they have writer's program (they call them Gurus.) However, I have not checked out the program thoroughly nor do I have any experience with it so I do not know if they are legit or follow though with their promises. From what I have discovered you will not get paid until you submit 101 tips to the category you have chosen. Once they have your 101 tips they will publish them into a print edition book. You get 10 complimentary copies of the book plus 20% of the sales of the book and another 5% of the sales will get donated to the charity of your choice.  For more info about Lifetips.com click the link.

My Fridge Food
I have seen programs and widgets for helping you figure out what you have can actually cook with what food you have on hand, but myfridgefood.com is by far the best I've discovered thus far. You start by checking boxes in their fairly detailed list of food and beverages you have in your house. If you log on, your list will be saved, but even if you don't log on you can have a list of recipes generated. Next to each recipe it will give you the percentage of ingredients you already have. If you do not have 100 percent of the ingredients needed for a recipe it will tell you are missing. I just discovered this site, but I plan on using it to help me come up with my meal plans and menus since it really seems to fit the way I shop. I keep an inventory of items I like to have in stock, what I am out of  or running run of I add to my grocery list then I also add other ingredients to specific meals to my list. There is also a grocery list tab in which you can create your grocery list, but I have not tried it yet. If your tired of trying to figure out what to make for dinner check out My Fridge Food by clicking the link.

Dornob - Design Ideas Daily

If you're looking for design ideas dornob.com is the place to check out. They have so many idea galleries it is unbelievable. The main categories are Architecture, Interiors, Furniture, Furnishings, Fixture and More. (More includes sub categories such as DIY, Fashion & Style and Photography). Due to the vast amount of info and the vast categories dornob is difficult to describe. However, if you have even the slightest interest in design or art it is definitely worth checking it out and you can do so by clicking here.

The above described websites are those I discovered on my own or by word of mouth through family or friends. I have not been offered or given compensation of any kind by the above mentioned websites or anyone else for reviewing the sites. The opinions expressed are my own and are influenced only by my experience at the sites. Although I am not against compensation, and may eventually receive some,  I have not received any for writing this article. For more of my legal jargon and info check my disclosure page. 

Rainy Day Activities

April Showers may bring May flowers, but they also bring cranky kids that want to go outside and play. So,  I thought this would be a good time to share some projects and activities to make being staying inside fun.


Arts and crafts:

• Finger paint
• Sock puppets
• paper bag puppets
• Paper plate masks
• Make paper grocery bag costumes 

Sensory activities:

• Make and play with homemade play dough
• Play with shaving cream
• Make "Monster goo" a mixture of corn starch and just enough water to make it liquidy but still have resistance.

Fine motor skill activities:

• Create your own lacing cards 
• Make Fruit Loops necklaces or bracelets
• Make beaded jewelry (if age appropriate)
• Make a paper chain countdown calender to countdown to s special day or event (last day of school, birthday, grandparent's visit, etc.)

Large motor skill games and activities:

• Simon says
• Have a dance party
• Follow the leader
• Duck, duck, goose

Imaginative play:

• Put on a puppet show with your homemade puppets
• Have a picnic in your living room
• Have an indoor "day at the beach"
• Make a blanket fort

Family Fun Time - Instilling the Love of Reading

Well, on my Facebook page I tried using the new questions app and epically failed. I only got five (Yes, 5, a whole hand, a nickel's worth, you get the point) responses to my question "what parenting issues are most relevant to you"? Of the five that responded, two said Family Fun time. So, for you two I dedicate this post and my new regular (well every once in a while) topic of Family Fun Time.
Since it is National Library Week, the subject of today's family fun is reading. I know I see the eye rolls now. I hear the complaints "We thought you said FUN!" But stop your doubting reading IS fun and it can inspire great family activities. First off it is so much more fun if you are talented enough to do voices and some sound effects. Even if you can't do them great, your kids will appreciate your efforts. Yes, that is pretty basic, but I promise that are many more ways to have reading inspired fun. Here are some ideas:

• Try a chapter book or book series that is beyond your child's reading level but not interest. For example I have not personally read the first four Harry Potter books because my husband read them first and then decided to read them aloud to our daughters and I listened, too. The girls were young when these were the rage and the size of the books were daunting, yet they wanted to know all about Harry and his friends too. The coolest part is when we saw the movies we were so surprised how well my husband's voices sounded like the actors. 
• Pass the book a round and give everyone a turn or assign each person a character and have them read or act out their character's dialogue. 
• Before road trips head to the library for an audio book to listen while traveling. Not only does this keep bickering down (always a plus) it gives you something to talk about as well.
• Have a meal or snack of foods the characters in your favorite book would or did eat. Some book series actually have cookbooks of the types of foods their characters ate such as the Little House on the Prairie Books and the American Girl books, but if not just get a little creative. You could add a dash of pumpkin pie spice and a few drops of orange food coloring to warmed apple juice to make Harry Potter's pumpkin juice. Or cook hot dogs over the camp fire or make foil dinners if you are reading a Western or cowboy book. Fruits and veggies cut into butterfly shapes and flower shapes for a Fairy Tea. Just use your imagination (and your kids' imaginations) and try not to over complicate it.
• Pretend to be the characters for the day, meal, car trip, whatever. If the characters have accents, whether southern, British, New England or whatever you have to use it too. If the they use a special vocabulary, then you need to use it to.
• Play charades or Pictionary based on your favorite characters or book titles. You could either just figure it out as you go or take a few minutes to jot titles, characters, places, etc. down on  index cards so it doesn't take forever for each player to try to come up with an idea. 
• Play "Who Am I ?" using characters of your favorite book. If you never played, it is so simple and fun for all ages. Write character names down on sticky notes or pieces of masking tape, but keep them secret. Then stick the name to each person's back. You could also stick them to foreheads but personally I think the back of a shirt is less annoying and itchy, plus little ones can reach it to pull it off. Then take turns trying to figure out who who are. The person who is guessing stands up and shows his  name tag to the others. Then he asks yes or no questions to try to figure out who he is. Such as: "Am I a fictional character?", "Am I human?", " Am I a girl?", "Can I fly?" and so on.  

These are just a few ideas, if you have any others please feel to share them. For more information on instilling the love of reading check with your local library or go to Scholastic.com. Scholastic.com

National Library Week April 10-16

It's not to late to celebrate National Library Week, which is going on right now. Many libraries are offering activities to celebrate. But even if you missed out or your library isn't participating you can still celebrate the love of reading and the wonderful services our libraries provide.

It's no secret that I love my local libraries. I am there so often that most of the librarians at two out of the three libraries in my county know me by name, if not, than by face.
With the continual changing of technology it would seem libraries would become obsolete, but that is not the case. In fact, in my opinion they are becoming more important than ever. So what is so great about the library anyway?

Well first off as a cheapskate, I love the library because it's a great deal. Besides checking out books for free there are so many other free services. My local libraries also have available for loan DVDs, VHS cassettes, audio CDs (music), audio books on cassette and CD, computer games, and probably even more. By checking these items out at the library you can see if it something you want to purchase or not. My library loans CD ROMS for the same length as they do books, which is three weeks. This is the perfect amount of time to see if your kids are actually going to play the game or not. Or depending on the game just beat it after two days and toss it aside. With computer games costing $20- $50 or even more it makes sense knowing you will actually get your money's worth. Although many people use such services as Netfilx to rent DVDs and stream movies, the library is still a great place to get your movies. In my house we use Netflix streaming as our primary source of viewing children's TV and movies as we do not have cable, satellite or even an ariel antenna. But if the item is not available for streaming and it is not something the whole family will enjoy for family movie night, it usually gets kicked down to the bottom of our DVD queue. That is where the library comes in handy. I also use it to check out the "chic flicks" my husband also keeps kicking to the bottom of the queue.

Another feature I love that I can only get from my library are the programs. My libraries offer tons and I rarely have the opportunity to take advantage of the ones offered for adults, but my kids are regulars at the children's programs and story times. My local libraries host such programs as various craft classes, computer classes, movie showings, book discussions, lectures, Leggo clubs, contests and so much more. I love the story times. My library offers different ones for different ages and they are a wonderful way to introduce little ones to the joy of reading, the love of learning, the wonders of the library and interacting with other kids.

As my oldest two children have grown, the library has been an essential resource for school work. Although, now in high school, they have some teachers that allow internet sources for writing papers and essays. However, when in younger grades many teachers still require the use of Encyclopedias and other print media that can be found at the library. Although not all libraries offer this service, one of my branches has (or at least when my kids were elementary and intermediate school) a copy of the text books that our local public school uses. This is a lifesaver for the times when you child forgets her textbook at school and has homework due the next day.

Another great advantage is that our local libraries house local history and help us reunite with our roots. Besides being an excellent resource if you are tracing your family tree, libraries often house archives of old yearbooks and newspapers. When I was a reporter for my local newspaper I did a story of the 100 anniversary of fire that changed the face of much of the town. The internet was no help in my research. The newspaper office did not have newspapers that old in our archives, but the library did. It was on microfiche, a media that few are familiar with these days. I had to do a lot of searching but my library is so excellent and the librarians are so helpful that the librarian who specializes in such things as history and microfiche (and yes, that is a specialization) found it for me and made a hard copy for me.

Which leads to another advantage of the library: the librarians. First off I have never met the stereotypical librarian which her long gray hair in a bun on top her head, her half-moon spectacles perched on the end of her nose and "Shhhhhhh" the only sound that is uttered from her mouth. The librarians I know are awesome! They are beyond helpful for locating a book, recommending a DVD or answering a number of my questions. They are the ones that take their time and resources to come up with, organize and put on the story times and other programs. Few other business professionals show continual excellent customer service like librarians.  This phenomenon occurs not only in my local small-town library, but in large city libraries that I have visited as well.

For more information about National Library Week contact your local library or visit the American Library Association's website. If you live in NW Indiana more about my local libraries can be found here.

Explore the great outdoors with your kids

Now that spring has finally sprung, well for the most part, it's time to get outside and show your kids the wonders of spring. I've compiled a short list of outdoor activities to enjoy now that sun is shining and weather is warmer. Most of these activities are free or almost free. Many are  things you might have enjoyed as a kid but may have forgotten. 

• Look for new spring flowers, then either let them grow, pick and press them for an art project or take a photo to use in a art project or scrapbook.
• Fly a kite
• Make chalk drawings
• Teach your kids how to play hopscotch or Four Square
• Blow bubbles
• Set up a water table
• Have a picnic lunch
• Look for shapes in the clouds
• On a warm evening look for constellations
• Discover a new park
• Go for a bike ride 
• Set up an obstacle course
• Have a relay race
• Splash in the puddles
• Make mud pies
• Plant flower or vegetable seeds or seedlings

What are your favorite springtime outdoor activities to do with your kids? Please feel free to share your experiences with the above ideas or share your own ideas. 

No More Excuses

Wow it has been a long time since I have written anything on this blog. However, it has not been "out of sight out of mind for me." Yes, Christmas and the first of the year were extremely busy. But as the holidays passed I did think a lot about my blog and often I would get an idea to write about. However, there were many excuses and negative voices (my own voice not my family or friends they are very supportive) that prevented me from just doing it. 


One major excuse was not having time and forgetting my ideas when I do have the time. I would come up with ideas while in the shower, driving the car or cooking dinner and could not go to the computer right then. When I did have free time on the computer I would forget what I wanted to write or that I even had something to write in the first place. Yes, I am what you may call ADHD, a multi-tasker or a SHE (Sidetracked Home Executive). My mind is always going a million miles per hour and I easily jump from one thing to another. Now, I am taking the time to jot notes when I get the idea- or at least when I can safely write. Don't worry I won't be writing as I drive down the highway. And no, I don't have a waterproof notebook in my shower but if I did the world may be in trouble.


Another main excuse was I didn't have the "right" photos or logos or whatever I needed to make each article look professional and polished. I would think "I could write _____ but wait what kind of graphic could I have with it?" Or "Do I really want to spent all that time coming up with a graphic for such a small article?"


Well, since mid February I have been slowly taking baby steps in reclaiming my home from CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) by re-starting the Flylady plan. One of the points she makes is not letting perfectionism stop us from cleaning our house or doing other things we want. For those of you not like this, it may sound super strange. I mean you would think a perfectionist would have a perfectly clean house and do anything they thought of doing. Well for born organized perfectionists this may be true, but for SHEs like me it is quite opposite. The idea of doing something wrong or imperfect is so crippling that the task gets left undone. But fear not, I am learning that you cannot climb stairs until you take the first step and you don't have to see the end of the staircase to take the first step. (The second part is a paraphrase from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) Flylady likes to say that "even house keeping done incorrectly can bless your house." This does not mean to just do it half baked and think "eh... good enough." It means not to let concerns of doing something the "correct" way or trying to do things the way your mother or mother-in-law or whoever else would do it keep you from doing it the way you can. 


I have taken this way of thinking on as I think about my blog. So, it may not always looks super polished and have perfect graphics but the content may actually help or encourage someone and that's the point. Also, lets face it, I don't have a whole lot of readers and of the readers I do have 99 percent of you are either my friends or family and you know me well enough not to expect perfection. I doubt I will every make one penny on this blog. If the time comes that I actually do I will have probably learned quite a few things about producing a great looking blog.


So, if you my, dear readers, are willing to try again I am back on the saddle again. Many of the ideas I have are discussion questions or topics so please feel free to leave a comment below of on the FB page.