Spring is in the air and parents everywhere are trying to find fun, outdoor activities to do with their children. A great project idea for you to enjoy with your child is kite making. Making a kite is a fun, two- fold activity. First, there is the fun of making the kite. Then, there is the added bonus of flying the kite with your little one.

Click the links below for fun, kite making projects you can do with your child!

Make Your Own Kites

How To Make A Paper Kite

20 Kites In 20 Minutes

How To Make A Garbage Bag Kite

How To Make A Fast Kite With One Sheet of Paper

All of the above links contain awesome ideas for kite making fun. The 20 Kites in 20 Minutes article is a great project idea for room mothers or teachers looking for a spring activity to do with a classroom full of kids. The other project links are wonderful too. I never realized you could make a kite with a garbage bag or with just one piece of paper and two sticks. Kite making is also a fun Mother’s Day activity for mom and the kids to enjoy on her special day!

Photo Sources: Both pictures are from istock.

Being a foster can be nerve racking at times.  There are court dates, paperwork, meetings, visits, and usually therapy appointments.  But all of those things get done and you have the fun part…being there for a child.

As a foster parent you get to bond in a special way with children placed in your home.  You get to love them like a parent, but still get to be a friend to them.  Sometimes those friendships can last a lifetime.  But how do they start?

When a Foster Child Gets Placed in Your Home

Whether you have been preparing for weeks for a foster child to come into your home or just found out an hour before, there are some things that make the first impressions go more smoothly.

• Try to get at the height of the child and smile.  You look a lot less intimidating to a young child when you are not towering over them.
• Look into their face, but do not force eye contact.  Many children have been abused and have low self esteem.  Trying to force eye contact can make you come across as domineering.
• Try to avoid widening your arms to hug to hug the child.  Once again, many of these children have been abused and physical contact with a stranger will not be something they will rush to do.  You will likely just create an awkward moment.
• Introduce yourself by name and then ask them what they would like to call you.  This will help them let their guard down and build a foundation for your relationship.

Jen and Barb Mom Life and Salary.com have teamed up to celebrate Mother’s Day. We owe our mothers everything and in honor of Mother’s Day, Salary.com is giving you and other moms a chance to calculate your own Mom Salary. When you’re done, you can print out your Mom Paycheck. Keep reading to the bottom of the post for details about how you can win one of four awesome, spa/Visa gift cards!

What’s Your Mom Salary?

Did you know that Carol Brady from the Brady Bunch would have made $62,415 a year (by 2012 standards) if she would have gotten a yearly paycheck for raising six kids? How do I know? I calculated it by using Salary.com’s Mom Salary Wizard.

I also calculated my own Mom Salary using the Mom Salary Wizard. I would make $45,606 a year if I got paid for being chief executive officer, SUV chauffeur, event planner, and child psychologist for my family. When I calculated my Mom Salary, I even got a “check” emailed to me. Too bad I can’t cash it!

In honor of Mother’s Day and Salary.com’s Twelfth Annual Mom Salary Survey, Salary.com is hosting a wonderful giveaway!

Four lucky moms will each win one of the following:

One (1) $200 spa gift card/Visa Gift Card towards relaxation

One (1) $100 spa gift card/Visa Gift Card towards relaxation

Two (2) $50 spa gift cards/Visa Gift Cards towards relaxation

To enter:

First head over to Salary.com to calculate your Mom Salary. Then come back to this post and list your Mom Salary in the comments section. Please include your email address in the comment so we can contact you if you win.

Additional Entries: 

• Subscribe to our email newsletter (Leave a comment with your email address)
• Tweet about this giveaway (Leave a comment with the link)

So what is your Mom Salary? Head over to Salary.com to find out and let us know in the comments and you might just win one of the above prizes!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Salary.com. Giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over, void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. Giveaway ends Sunday, May 13, 2012 at 11:59 pm.

Children to Remain Rear Facing in Car Seats for Longer

The new recommendation is to keep children rear-facing in their carseats until two years of age, or until they reach maximum height and weight for the seat as noted in the manual. A rear-facing seat would be the next step once your baby outgrows its infant-carrier seat.

Updated Booster Seat Recommendations

Children should ride in a belt-positioning high back booster until their are 4’9″ AND 8-12 years old.

Additionally it is recommended that children are not seated in the front seat until at least 13 years of age.

Colorful Celery Bouquet by April. Project Directions Can be found here. Photo Source: April’s Little Family.

Beauty Mask Craft by Disney Family Fun. Click here for instructions. Photo Source: Disney Family Fun.

Mom ‘n’ Me Wooden Spoons Mother’s Day Craft by Kaboose. Click here for instructions. Photo Source: Kaboose

Silhouettes Mother’s Day Craft by Free Kids Crafts. Click here for instructions. Photo Source: Free Kids Crafts

MOM Picture Frame by Busy Bee Kids Crafts. Click here for instructions. Photo Source: Busy Bee Kids Crafts

All of the above craft ideas are so beautiful, and they do not take much time to create. Having your child make his/her own present for his/her mom on Mother’s Day is a great alternative to merely purchasing a gift. It gives the child a sense of pride and excitement because he or she will get to present his or her mother with a gift that is truly from the heart.

Other great ideas for Mother’s Day Kids Crafts can be found here and here.

Spring is in the air, and with Spring comes Spring break. Butterfly craft projects are a great Spring themed activity you can do with the kids when they are home for the holidays.

Here are 5 easy butterfly crafts you can complete with your kids this Spring break:

Clothes Pin Butterfly: This fun activity creates a beautiful butterfly with just a few household items and a dash of creativity. This project by Allison from Alli ‘N Sons will delight children ages 2 and up.  Click here for the directions.

Bug Buddies: Is your little one obsessed with bugs? Well he or she will love this project idea that involves making all kinds of insects (butterflies, caterpillars, etc). Click here for the directions.

Butterfly Feet: I love footprint craft ideas, and this one by Amanda is so cute! Click here to see how to make a pair of butterfly feet with your kids.

Origami Butterfly: Family Fun has a cute and colorful butterfly origami project idea on their website. Click here to check it out. Photo Source: Disney Family Fun.

Spring Craft: This adorable butterfly craft from Bo Bunny uses cardboard toilet paper roll tubes and a few other supplies to make colorful butterflies with a touch of whimsy. Click here for the directions. Photo Source: Bo Bunny

 What are your favorite Spring craft ideas? Let me know in the comments section.

At seventeen you’re standing on the cusp of adulthood, excitedly aware of the possibilities only a few short months away; your first taste of freedom, the thrill of beginning your life away from your parents’ home.  So many opportunities lay before you… just waiting for you to grab them.

The youngest victims of the Oklahoma City Bombing would be 17 this year.

Visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

April 19, 1995.  A day like any other.  That’s the feeling you get as you enter the reenacted Oklahoma Water Resources Board meeting on the Museum’s third floor.  At barely two minutes into the recorded meeting the lights flicker and the building shakes.  Left in darkness, the meeting’s attendees have no idea of the destruction across the street.

The following exhibits are overwhelming.  Varying between disbelief, gut wrenching sorrow and incredible awe at the heroics of so many, the next few rooms leave you aching to do something.

Photos in the Gallery of Honor

Shaken and numb you descend to the second level of the exhibit and enter the Gallery of Honor.  The faces of all 168 victims gaze at you.  Small trinkets sit in front of the photos reminding you that these are real people, with real passions, real lives.  Tears fill your eyes as you see so many children, babies, parents, grandparents.

Your tears become muffled sobs in the next room as you listen to the stories, in their own words, from family members, survivors and rescuers.  Weighing heavy on your heart, it’s too difficult to comprehend the how and why of such an act of cowardice and destruction.

The Oklahoma City Memorial Brings a Sense of Peace…  And Hope

The Remaining Walls of the Murrah Building

The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial is mesmerizing not for what is gone, but for what remains.  Entering the 9:01 gate on the east side of the outdoor memorial brings you to the only walls of the Murrah Building to survive the blast.  Directly west of that, where the building stood, is the heartbreaking Field of Empty Chairs.  168 chairs, the smaller chairs representing the children lost that day, is far more moving than you expect.  Wandering slowly through, you stop to read the inscriptions on the chairs, emotion moving you lay your hands on the small ones and offer prayers.

Smaller Chairs Represent the Children Lost in the Bombing

Across the reflecting pool is the Survivor Tree which stood in the parking lot.  This symbol of strength and perseverance draws you close and points the way to the Children’s Area.

Hand Painted Tiles Arrived from Across the Country

Here, surrounded by hand painted tiles, hope begins to rise in you.  Children from around the country poured their feelings and prayers onto these small bits of ceramic, illustrations eloquently sharing what words cannot express.

Tokens are still left in remembrance

Exiting the 9:03 gate at the west end of the memorial tears again form as you see that those who were lost are not forgotten.  Even today tokens are left on the fence in remembrance.

Oklahoma City Today

Since 1995 Oklahoma City has reinvented itself.  The new buildings and restored neighborhoods show that the city is moving forward from the tragedy, replacing horror with hope.  Hope for the children to come while always remembering those who were lost.

As our children develop from cute, cuddly toddlers into precious school age children, some parents find themselves at an impasse. On one hand, they’re delighted to see their child go off to school and participate in extracurricular activities. On the other hand, parents are saddened by the loss of time spent with their child. They miss them.

If you have school aged children, or children involved in activities outside of the home, here are some great ways to create meaningful connections with your child.

1. Clean Up. Clean Up. Everybody Every where. Who doesn’t know the clean up song? No matter how old your children are (my children are teenagers and they still respond to the song, even though they’ll deny it as they’re picking up their stuff and putting it away) they instinctively respond to the song and they begin to pitch in! Lending a helping hand is a fabulous way to connect with young ones because it gives them the chance to prove themselves to be great helpers. Raking leaves, gardening, weeding, baking, watering plants and flowers, or helping to put away silverware; no matter what the task children like to feel they can contribute to a larger cause. They end up feeling important, valued and like they’re “big boys” or “big girls.”

2. The Family That Plays Together. Children are teeming with imagination, an inexhaustible supply of energy (especially at bed time), belly laughs, and an insatiable appetite to play with just about anything they can get their hands on. Playing is a very important part of your child’s development. Children who express themselves through play are likely to have better social skills and are able to manage stress through physical release. In short, playing is good thing. So, why not join in the fun?

When my son was younger, he hated bed time because he always felt that he was missing out on the “secret cup cake parties that occurred after he shut his eyes.” Needless to say, bedtimes were stressful until I decided to change things up. Instead of tucking him in and going to sleep, we’d spend an extra 20-30 minutes having a tickle fest, a bed-time story complete with animated voices, wrestle-mania-like hug fests, and prayers. The result? No more bedtime headache. The point is this: parents, it’s okay to participate in child’s play. When you immerse yourself in their world of tea time, dress up, super heroes or alien space patrol, you connect with your child in a manner that stays with them for a life time.

Jester and Pharley Gift Set

This gift set includes the Jester and Pharley Doll as well as the book, The Jester Has Lost His Jingle. It’s sure to bring smiles to your children’s faces, but it’s more than just a cute toy. The book was written by David Saltzman before his death from Hodgkin’s Disease at age 22, and tells of a Jester who helps others find joy in their life, no matter what struggles they may be facing. His parent’s began a foundation after his death, The Jester and Pharley Phund, which is “dedicated to bringing the joy of laughter and love of learning to all children, especially those who may be ill or have special needs.” Find out more about their inspiring work at, The Jester.

Price: $50 – Age Range: 5-8, but the whole family can enjoy it.

Rory’s Story Cubes

These Story Cubes may be pocket-sized but they pack a big punch. They can be used to spark ideas for creative writing or for a fun family game where each member creates a piece of a story using the images on the dice. A perfect addition to any Easter Basket and their portability makes them great for long car rides!

Price: $7 – Age Range: 8 and up. *We first got these when my daughter was 6 and they have been a hit with her and her 5-year-old sister.

Brain Quest Decks

Endless hours of learning fun stored in a little box! Each Brain Quest Deck is tailored to a specific age/grade range and offers 750-1000 questions to stimulate their brains. Another great must-have for car rides or rainy days stuck indoors. Children can work through these cards on their own or the whole family can try their hand at answering the questions.

Price: $10-15 – Age Range: Multiple, depending on the deck you choose.

Gazillion Bubble Football

Bubbles are fun for everyone, but I my oldest seems to think he is a bit too old for bubble; until he tried out the Gazillion Bubble Football. Simply dip the “tail” of the football in the bubble solution and pass, leaving behind a thick trail of bubbles. The smoother the throw, the more bubbles you get! Plus the person on the other end gets a little bit messy… and what boy doesn’t like getting messy! The pack comes with one football, bubble solution, and two solution trays for each passer.
($5)

 Legos:

Lego’s can provide hours upon hours of imaginative fun. With the frequent arrival of new sets, the stories and creations are never ending! Lego’s cover a variety of interests from dinosaurs, to ninja warriors, super heroes, community helpers, and the list goes on and on. The other great thing about lego’s is that they are virtually indestructible. So even though some sets can be a little more pricey… they will last forever! There is a Lego set for any price range!
($2-$100)

Explorer Pack:

Boys and Bugs… it’s like PB&J. I love the factual information written in a fun cartoon format. The kit also comes with a full color poster and magnifying glass to get those boys trailing after the bugs in your backyard!

Angry Birds: Spring is in the Air Game

I think every elementary age boy is obsessed with Angry Birds. It cracks me up to walk down the halls of my son’s school and see large bird eyes and beaks spread across t-shirts left and right, but of course it also means being stuck behind a screen; well not with this game. This game allows kids to get hands on. Build your own structure, complete with pigs and then launch your own angry birds to take out the structure. Oh, and the pigs have bunny ear headbands! Perfect for an Easter Basket!
($15-$20) 

Nerf Toys:

If you’re your boys are anything like mine, there is a constant battle/competition happening throughout our house. What better war weapon than Nerf! I love that these guns come in all different shapes, sizes, and price ranges. Plus the Nerf balls and swords are wonderful and nobody gets hurt with that cushy outer coating. Great for all ages!
($5-$50)

I used to have a love/hate relationship with poetry when I was younger – that is, until I realized that not all poetry was forced to conform to rules of rhyme and meter. Free form and haiku poetry are great accessible ways to learn and expose your children to poetry. And haikus, because they are so short, are a great starting point for kids when it comes to writing poetry.

A haiku is a three lined poem that contains a total of 17 syllables. The first line has five syllables, the second has seven, and the third has five. And that’s it! That’s all the rules for writing a haiku.

Once you’ve talked to your child about what a haiku is, you can try writing one of your own. Need ideas? Some great starting points are, write a haiku about:

• Your favorite food
• The weather
• Your family pet
• A favorite article of clothing

Need help figuring out what to put in your preschool age boy’s Easter basket? Look no further! Blissfully Domestic has searched the web to find the top gifts for the 4-6 year old age group.

Super Man Puzzle

Age Range: 3 and up

Price: $24.00

Why It’s Hot: This Super Man puzzle from Pottery Barn is a perfect addition to any little boy’s Easter basket. The puzzle consists of 48 oversize pieces perfect for tiny hands!

Lego Classic Brick Kids Watch

Age Range: 5 and Up

Price: $24.99

Why It’s Hot: The Lego Classic brick Kids Watch is the perfect fit for the limited space in your child’s Easter basket, and he will be sure to love it!

My First Crayola Stampers

Age Range: 12 months and Up

Price: $5.99

Why It’s Hot: This set of stamps is so cute! The My First Crayola Washable Stampers are great, because they are the perfect size for small hands. They also get an A+ from this mom because they are washable. Washable = No Stains!

Sure, you could go with candy like most folks do. But wouldn’t it be great to avoid some of that sugar? Wouldn’t it be nice to be more creative? Here are some ideas for what to put in those plastic Easter eggs this year.

Craft Supplies

• wiggly eyes
• pom poms
• ribbon
• buttons
• erasers
• stickers
• cardstock shapes
• beads

Religious Symbols (sometimes called “Resurrection Eggs”)

• cotton ball dipped in perfume (John 12:3)
• coins (Matthew 26:14)
• purple cloth (Matthew 27:28)
• thorns (John 19:2)
• strip of leather (Mark 15:15)
• small cross (John 19:17)
• nail (John 19:18,37)
• dice (John 19:24)
• toothpick spear (John 19:33-34)
• piece of gauze (Matthew 27:59)
• small stone (Matthew 28:2)
• leave one egg empty (Matthew 28:5-6)

Money

• real coins/bills
• pretend money that can be redeemed for treats/opportunities

Clues

• turn it into a scavenger hunt
• create a riddle to be solved for a prize

Try something different this year with your Easter eggs, and let us know what you come up with for plastic egg fillers!

photo credit

Spring can be a magical time.

A time to open up the windows and let the fresh breeze sweep through the house taking with it cobwebs and dust bunnies and the stale aroma of winter.

A time to fluff our aprons and twirl our brooms and sing joyfully as our home suddenly begins to sparkle and come alive like flowers bursting forth into this new season.

Okay, maybe not, but a girl can dream.

The thought of spring cleaning may not evoke sudden feelings of glee or excitement but it doesn’t have to be completely dreadful either. With a little creativity and effort (and a lot of grace), you may find that making your home sparkle and come alive can be more than just a fairytale.

Avoid Stress

•  Make it teamwork. Be brave and allow your child to be part of the process.
• Keep it simple. Focus on one thing at a time.
• Remember grace. You won’t get everything finished in a day. That’s okay.

Be Creative

•  Add fun, colorful, or helpful labels to bins and baskets when sorting. Let your child help sort the items (who knew organizing could be a learning experience?).
• Use collectibles as decoration or display (this keeps them safe and tidy).
• Select favorite pieces of artwork before throwing that pile of papers in the garbage. String wire from wall to wall for a smart, inexpensive way to showcase your child’s masterpieces.

Make a Checklist

It’s good to have a plan of action and checking things off a list can be rewarding.  A checklist can provide direction and order and keep you on task. Decide what you want to accomplish before you start. Some things (aside from your normal cleaning routine) you might want to include on your checklist are:

• Declutter. Unlike the disappearing sock dilemma at our house, the issue with our kids’ toys is one of multiplication (happy meal toys, treasure box goodies, playground finds, etc).
• Clothes. Sell or donate clothes that no longer fit. Pack away seasonal items that can be used again next year.
• Trash it (broken toys, crayons, items that no longer work)..

Keep it Clean

To inspire your little angel to keep his or her room clean and organized, make a chore chart to hang on the wall or refrigerator. Add stickers for completed chores and for keeping toys in their proper places. Offer a prize once a certain number of stickers have been earned.

Trish has a free My Royal Duties Princess Job Chart Packet PDF file to help you get started.

See these tips for age-appropriate chores and make sure you aren’t doing everything solo!

Now, click your heels, wave that magical wand, or pick up that dust cloth! Put some spring in your cleaning and make your kids’ rooms sparkle. You don’t need a fairy Godmother;  you have a plan of action!

Daffodil image credit: Flickr creative commons – Dean Ward
Chore Chart: Trish at Prepared Not Scared 

Footprint crafts are a fun keepsake to make with your kids. Whether your child is months old or nine years old, there are endless possibilities for footprint crafting fun with your kids. Below are five of the cutest footprint craft ideas from across the web:

1. Horse Footprint Craft: The All Kids Network website has a super cute horse footprint craft your children will enjoy completing. This craft is great because it requires minimal supplies: glue, construction, paper, scissors, and crayons. Click here to go to All Kids Network to see the instructions.
2. Footprint Rocket: The blog Handprint and Footprint Art is a great resource for footprint craft ideas. Among the many craft ideas featured on the site is a Footprint Rocket project. It is perfect for the little space enthusiast in your family! Click here to head over to Handprint and Footprint Art to see the full directions for the project.
3. Footprint Chicks:About.com has instructions for a cute project called Footprint Chicks. With Easter just around the corner this will be a great project to make with your children for grandparent gifts. Click here to go to About.com for instructions.
4. Footprints In The Sand: The Disney Family Fun website has an excellent footprint activity you and your child can complete as a keepsake on your next beach vacation. Click here to see the details.
5. Baby Footprint Keepsake:MarthaStewart.com has a beautiful project idea for creating a keepsake out of your newborn’s footprints. The finished project has the footprints displayed in a shadow box, and it looks like a work of art! Click here for the instructions.

Have you completed a footprint craft with your child? Let us know your favorite footprint craft ideas in the comments section!

While most kids from Christan families know about Easter, few know much about the special days leading up to it. The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, or 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter. It is a season of reflection and penance in anticipation of the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus on Easter.

If you traditionally give up something for Lent, explore ways your children can participate in this. Maybe they could choose to give up video games or television. Help them understand that this “giving up” is intended to remind us often of the enormous sacrifices Jesus made for us.

Spend time together praying and reading Scripture as a family. Choose a book of Bible stories that can be read daily. Encourage older children to keep a prayer journal. Take them to Ash Wednesday services. Spend time explaining the symbols of the season. Answer questions.

Ask a children’s minister for recommendations of books or even children’s movies that help put Lent in kid-friendly terms. Make hot cross buns together. Make popcorn and reflect on how the kernel is transformed. Help them to make the connection to the tranformation Jesus’ love creates in us.

Find fun, yet meaningful, ways to keep journeying toward Easter together as a family.

photo credit

Deanna over at Just Deanna has all kinds of cute ideas for Valentine’s Day projects to make with your kids including the cute gummy bear treats pictured at left. Click here to read all about her Valentine’s Day card project ideas for kids!

Craft and Recipe blog Zakka Life has a tutorial for how to make the simple and sweet heart necklaces and cards pictured at left. Click here to see the directions.

One of my daughters is a fantastic reader and, like me, opts to read for a leisure activity. What a better way to connect on a one-on-one basis with my child than by translating something we both love into a way to spend time together?

I proposed the idea of starting a book club and she was enthusiastic about the idea. So, where to start?

Picking a book

Picking what to read may be the hardest part. You have three options:

• Pick a book that was a favorite from your childhood
• Let your child pick one of his or her favorite books
• Read something new to both of you and discover new books together

My daughter and I spent an hour or so in a bookstore in the children’s section with a knowledgeable salesperson who helped us choose “new to us both” books based on our reading preferences. We decided to read books that neither of us have read. If your bookstore doesn’t have staff that is well-versed in children’s literature, try your local library for book ideas.

How often will you meet? How often will you select a new book?

Like my other book club, we decided to meet once a month. We’ll go out on a mom-daughter date each month to discuss our chosen book. This gives us a great way to spend time together, and as my children get older, it’s a way to hopefully continue to stay connected.

I’m looking forward to not only keeping connected with my children, but in discovering new  literary treasures.

If you have a book club with your children, what are you reading?

When you sign up to use HatchedIt, you have access to your own calendar. All of your information is private (their default setting is private, and it only changes should you decide to share).

Invite other family members to get the fullest use of HatchedIt. You have a family calendar, your personal calendar, and you can also view events from your family members’ calendars – so long as they’ve not been designated as Private.

Not only can you use HatchedIt to track the events you and your family have scheduled – one of the coolest HatchedIt functions is the Group functionality.

Do you want to connect with your book club? Are you a “classroom parent” for your child’s class and need an easily digital meeting place to connect with the other parents without dozens of emails cluttering your inbox? You can create groups in HatchedIt to use as a “gathering place” or central location for communicating with your groups – all in one place.

Best of all, HatchedIt’s tools are completely free and easy to use – so you never have to remember to write your appointments on the fridge calendar again. In fact, they have an app for Android already and will soon have an iPhone app so I can update the calendar on the go and it’ll be accessible to everyone.

Which features do you love most for helping you stay organized?

This post was written as part of a sponsored campaign with HatchedIt. 

Thank you notes take time. Many adults have a tough time sitting down to write them. So how do we inspire our children to write thank you notes for the gifts they receive? It’s important. We want our kids to grow up understanding the value of gratitude. We want them to see their blessings. Teaching them to write thank you notes is a great step toward those ends. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you start out with your children:

Model this skill for them. Our children learn so much more from watching us than from anything we can say to them. If they see that writing thank you notes and being deliberately grateful is important to us, they’ll be much more likely to adopt that for themselves.

Write them for the preschool kids. Even if the note is written by you and you encourage your preschooler to scribble something in crayon on the bottom, it is planting the seed. It’s showing your child very early on that this expression of gratitude is important.

Create templates for younger kids who can write a little. It’s unrealistic to expect the younger children to sit down to write a lengthy and descriptive thank you note. One way to at least introduce the concept would be to create a template for them. Type up something that has blanks where the item received, the giver and the child’s name would be written. Let your child fill in those blanks.

Encourage a quick turnaround. Though it is truly never too late to write a thank you, it really is best (and easiest) to write one as soon as possible. This is especially true of children, for whom the excitement of a new “thing” is quick to wear off. While they are still enthusiastic about the receipt of their gift, tap into that!

Foster their artistic flair. A thank you doesn’t have to be limited to words. Let your children color, draw or otherwise show their appreciation in an artistic way. One of the values of thank you notes is that it serves as a long-lasting momento for the gift giver. Just imagine how delighted great-aunt whoever would be to put a sweet picture colored by little Johnny on her refrigerator door!

Above all else, emphasize the importance of expressing gratitude. My parents frequently quoted Rabbi Hyman Schachtel’s famous “happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.”

photo credit

Clearing Up The Christmas Clutter

My children’s playroom is organized using a series of cubes I purchased from Pottery Barn. In each cube I have a bin labeled with what type of toy is contained in the bin. After each gift giving holiday, I take the time to clean out the toy bins. Pictured Above: My Children’s Playroom.

I follow these steps when I clean out my children’s playroom:

I take each bin and take any toys that are no longer age appropriate for either of my boys and put them in three piles:

1. The first pile is for the toys that are still in good condition. These I will donate to Goodwill.
2. The second pile is the trash pile.
3. The last pile is for toys that my younger son may appreciate in a couple of years. I put these aside to store in the garage.

I repeat the process with each bin.

Organization Tip

Toy organization Is A Breeze With Labeled Bins

• The bins I use for organizing Toys have a surface that you can write on with chalk. I label each bin by type of toy. I try to draw a simple picture of each type of toy on the bins so my children can identify what’s inside.

• You can also use canvas bins or shoe boxes and tape index cards to the boxes or use clear plastic bins – these are great because there’s no need to label them!
• One easy alternative to the cube system is to use an old bookcase to store your organizing bins in.

What are your must have organization items and tips? Leave a comment and let me know!

At some point, bundling up your new baby and hitting the road will happen.  It may just be a weekend car trip to visit relatives, or an airplane ride half-way around the world, but it will happen.  Traveling with a new baby does not have to be a daunting task.  It simply takes preparation, planning and some help.

How are you getting there?

Planning for a car ride is much different than planning for a plane trip (the two ways most of us travel), so we will consider some aspects separately, while some things remain the same no matter how you are getting where you are going.  First off, those things that remain the same.

Buy diapers when you get there and only carry enough for the trip. My family is wholeheartedly pro-cloth diaper.  However, when we travel, we get disposables.  Even most big-box stores carry decent disposables these days (without all kinds of funky chemicals).

Take more clothes than you think you will need. Most new moms figure out pretty quickly that a baby goes through many outfit changes a day.  Diaper leaks, spit-up and slobber all contribute to the need to change a babies clothes often.  Take clothes that pack well and are easy to clean.  Pack a small bottle of stain remover with you to treat stains before they set.

Breastfeed! It is free, portable, does not require clean bottles, is ready whenever your baby is hungry and creates an amazing bond between mom and baby.  How much better does it get than that?  If you are hesitant or self-conscious about nursing in public, get one of the cute nursing covers that are around.

For car rides.

Plan on your trip taking at least 25% longer than it did before baby. New babies need to nurse.  A lot.  And very frequently.  If your trip took 4 hours before, it will take at least 5 hours now, if not longer.  Even if you figure out the trick of nursing with the baby in the car seat, which requires you to get in positions even a contortionist would be proud of, you will still need to stop for burping, diaper and outfit changes.

You will need help. Sometimes the baby wants momma and no one else will do.  Having the ability to sit next to your baby while they are in the car seat and give them the comfort of your presence is often enough.

For plane trips.

A good baby carrier is a life saver. Getting through security, getting on and off the plane, and changing planes is made immensely easier with a baby carrier.  You can strap the baby to your chest (follow safe baby-wearing guidelines), grab your bags and go without having to wrestle with a stroller.

Make sure the baby is nursing during take-off and the descent for landing. Adults can voluntarily pop their ears by swallowing.  If your baby is nursing, their ears will pop and they will not be in pain from the pressure changes.

Most importantly, travel safely!

Teaching preschoolers about gratitude after Christmas is no easy task. Chances are your little ones have worn themselves out trying to get on Santa’s good side. The last thing preschoolers want is someone lecturing to them about gratitude and thankfulness right after they receive their presents. So, it’s up to parents to make learning about gratitude a fun experience.

Tips for Teaching Your Child About Gratitude

• Make it a point to have family members say what they are thankful for at the dinner table each evening. Typically this activity is saved for Thanksgiving. However,  for young children it is important to put an emphasis on gratitude on a regular basis, so that they will absorb the lesson.
• After Christmas, help your child clean unwanted toys out of his or her toy box, and go together to donate the toys to a local charity. Tell your child about the importance of giving to others, and explain that other children will be very grateful to receive the toys.
• Teach children about the importance of thank you notes, and explain why it is important to let others know that you appreciate their gift.

Quick Project

This year I am going to have my older son send thank you photos to each of his grandparents (see photo above). I thought having him hold the gift in the picture in front a a simple background he helped make would be a nice way to emphasize concept of gratitude this holiday season.

How To Make A Thank You Photo

1. Attach a piece of fabric to the wall. I used 1 yard of light blue felt that I purchased at a craft store.
2. Have your child help arrange the letters to spell out “thank you” on the background. You will obviously have to help your preschooler figure out how to spell “thank you.” I used vinyl stick on letters that I purchased at a craft store.
3. Next let your preschooler decorate the background however they want. We used double sided tape to attach die cut snowflakes to our background.
4. Have your child sit in front of the background with the item he or she is making the thank you photo for. Take your child’s photo and edit it however you choose. I used my iPhone to take the photo and edited it using the Picnik photo editing website.
5. Print the photo out and help your child mail or deliver the photo. It is important for preschool age children to see the physical result of their work (i.e. the printed out photo). This way they have concrete evidence of their hard work.

It is important to discuss the effects of gratitude with your child when you are finished making and delivering the photo. Discuss the following questions with your child:

1. Why is it important to show that you are thankful for a gift?
2. How do you think the other person feels when you tell him or her thank you for a present?
3. How do you feel when you tell the gift giver you are thankful?
4. What is gratitude?

Don’t despair if your child does not grasp the concept of gratitude right away. Be patient, and continue having daily talks about the concept of gratitude in your household.

How do you teach your children about gratitude? Leave a comment and let me know.

Here’s a remarkably easy craft that makes a delightful gift for grandparents, or a great decoration in the house. It’s a butterfly – made from your child’s footprints.

Here’s your supply list for this craft:

•two baby feet

•washable, nontoxic, poster paint

•old rags or sponge

•thick cardstock or canvas

•newspaper or tarp to cover work area

Instructions:

Wash and dry your child’s feet.

Designate a work area and tape down some newspaper or a tarp – this could will get messy.

Lay out your cardstock or canvas and determine where you’d like the prints to go.

Get some damp rags ready and keep them very close by for quick clean up if things get out of hand.

Apply a thin layer of paint to one of your child’s feet with an old rag or sponge. Use one color for the whole foot or one color for the top half and another color for the bottom.

Then firmly press the foot down on the cardstock. Position the foot so that the big toe is at the top outer edge of the butterfly wing.

Repeat the painting process for the other foot.

Press the other foot down next to the first one – about an inch away.

Allow the footprints to dry completely while you clean up your kid’s feet and marvel at how much of a mess you’ve made.

When prints are dry, use a sharpie to draw a simple butterfly body and antennae in the center of the butterfly.

Press your child’s thumbprint at the end of each antenna and you’ve got a fantastic little butterfly.

This is the season of giving. How better to emphasize that spirit of generosity than to get your whole family involved in volunteering or charitable activities? Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

• Sign up for a shift as a family at a local soup kitchen.
• Take a turn ringing the bell at a Salvation Army red kettle collection spot or take an angel from one of their angel trees to purchase gifts for this season.
• Make holiday cookies and take them to your local nursing home for some good old-fashioned caroling. Many of the residents there do not have local family members to come share Holiday cheer with them. You’ll put a lot of smiles on those faces!
• Contact local homeless shelters to see what is specifically needed. Then brainstorm ways for your family to address some of those needs.
• Make and deliver goody bags to a Ronald McDonald House for the families who will have to spend their holidays there this year.
• Consider foregoing some of your own gifts in exchange for purchasing something that could benefit an entire village or several families. Check out the catalogs for Compassion International or World Vision for ideas.

Whatever you choose to do, just be sure you emphasize the spirit of generosity this Christmas. It will make Christmas even more special to your whole family and will bring you together in a way that brightens the whole season!

photo credit