"Mom is Santa" (Don't let the kids see this one!).. "I Spy" Car Activity.. Don't Get a Bigger Turkey Than You Can Handle.. The Question Jar: Deeper Dinner Talks..
"I Spy" Car Activity Playing "I Spy" in the car can be a bit difficult with moving objects zooming by. You can still play the game by creating your own "I Spy With My Little Eye" game in a jar!
When in the car, ask "I spy with my little eye a red lego", then pass the jar to the seeker. Either make all the children a jar to seek, or use a sand timer to clock individually (a buzzer might distract the driver!).
Ask more complex seeks for older children or keep it simple for younger ones!
How To Make It
Fill a cleaned-out plastic mayonnaise jar (or other plastic container with screw lid) with random objects. I searched my junk drawer and found a variety of interesting things!
Fill the jar with white rice, but don't fill it all the way to the top. Leave an inch or two of air so the rice has some space to move around when the jar is shaken.
Secure the top with Crazy Glue.
What To Include
Include objects like:
little legos mini wrapping bow paper clips safety pins tiny plastic car army man puzzle piece googly craft eyes balloon guitar pick small seashell hair clip wine cork rubberband marble quarter, dime, nickel, penny eraser jingle bell pieces from lost board games plastic cookie cutter
The Question Jar: Deeper Dinner Talks Besides asking your children "How was your day?" or "What did you learn at school?" at the dinner table, try some new questions drawn from The Question Jar.
These questions are about feelings and situations. Parents should give their answers, also, so everyone shares. Helping your child to understand and express their feelings and emotions is one of the best things you can do as a parent.
Just type up whatever questions you want on the computer, print them out, cut them up and stick them in the jar.
Here's a few suggested questions to get you started:
What is one of your fears? Tell about a time when you found it hard to be honest. How do you feel when someone teases you? Have you ever been blamed for something you did not do? Tell about a time when you had courage. What do you do when you feel sad? When do you feel left out? What do you do when you want attention? When do you feel embarrassed? What is something you are sorry for? When do you feel nervous? Whose advice do you listen to? Do you like yourself? Why? What kind of attention do you receive when you sick? Tell about one of your disappointments. What responsibilities do you think adults have? How do you feel about secrets? Tell about a mistake you have made. Tell about a time when someone helped you. When do you feel happy? What do you worry about? When do you feel grouchy? How would you describe a good friend? What are some of you talents? Have you ever tried to cheer someone up? How? How can you tell if someone is not listening to you?
Happy National Adoption Day!
Today was National Adoption Day. National Adoption Day is celebrated every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. More than 250 events were held throughout the country to finalize the adoptions of more than 3,300 children in foster care.
There are 114,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families. For more information see the National Adoption Day web page.
Age-Appropriate Chores for Children
It is important to develop household routines that children can follow daily. Just like a bedtime routine, other rooms in the house have routines too. All chores require teaching and supervision, so even though some things listed may seem unlikely, with consistent guidance the chores can be accomplished.
Remember to assign household chores appropriate for their height and weight (don’t expect a 2 year old to vacuum when it is taller than him!), and chores they can SAFELY handle. Younger siblings will want to help do chores at an earlier age so include them on cleaning day, too!
Age Two:
Help with laundry - putting dirty laundry in basket, pushing laundry baskets down the hall, carry small amounts of folded clothes to their room
Put away shoes, hang up coat, and clean up toys
Carry light grocery items inside
Empty plastic cups from dishwasher (provided drawer is height accessible, and leave them last when emptying)
Ages 3 & 4:
Help sort laundry and put in machines
Begin folding own laundry
Organization skilled chores – books on shelves, toys in proper bins, clothes in drawers
Empty and sort silverware from dishwasher (remove knives first!)
Straighten covers on bed
Light dusting with cloth or hand duster – coffee tables, end tables, window sills
Carry recycling to container
Get mail (with outside supervision)
Clear and set table for mealtime (no sharp knives), put dirty dishes in sink
Wash non-breakables in sink (bit messy, but they love bubbles, sponge and water!)
Weed garden – make sure they get the roots!
Ages 5 and above:
Feed the fish/dog/cat
Empty bathroom trash cans
Using Clorox wipes – clean bathroom sinks, kitchen counters, and table
Completely empty dishwasher – even if chair is necessary to stand on to reach shelves, and refill with dirty dishes
Carry and properly put away laundry
Properly put away groceries
Vacuum (use hose attachments, too!)
Prepare morning cereal and milk, make toast with butter (using bamboo tongs to remove toast), make PBJ’s, crack and scramble eggs (I cook)
Begin use of microwave
Rake leaves
Toys Made in the U.S.A. A recent news article says that China is not the only country with problems...
While China may be getting most of the attention -- and the blame -- for a rash of recent toy recalls, the majority of problematic toys in fact come from other countries, according to a new Canadian study. (Reuters)
Under the Green Roof Wood Toys Specializes in made-to-order wood letters, wood toys, wood animal "cars", word art, personalized wood toys and educational puzzles.
Fairy Finery Marvelous and magical let's pretend & special occasion clothing.
Loon Tune Spin to make a sound similar to the wail and tremolo sound of the Common Loon.
Direct Sales Businesses for Moms As a mother, chances are you don't need the government to tell you that inflation is alive and well. Your trips to the grocery store over the last few years have probably brought the message home loud and clear.
If inflation is taking a bite out of your budget, you might consider starting an at-home direct sales business.
You can set your own hours, work as much as you want, and most have low start-up costs.
Below is a list of popular direct sales companies.
Choose one that suits your interests and it will make selling fun as well as prosperous.
Slumber Parties distributors travel to individual homes to deliver an entertaining and enlightening presentation of their bedroom product line.
Make Your Own Baby Food
Making your child's food is very easy and rewarding -- especially since you know exactly what's in it! It is also cheaper than buying baby food at the grocery store. Choose local produce, if possible, at the local farmers' markets.
Rinse the food. If using vegetables, a quick peel and chop before cooking makes it easier to mash. If using fruits, like apples or pears, do not peel as most of the nutrition is in the peel. It is fun to combine sweet potatoes with apples or pears; or peas, potatoes and apples.
Don't slow cook bananas! They are best mashed immediately before use and added, as they turn brown and don't look so good. Apples also will turn brown when cooked, but that is normal!
Cook It
Fill your slow cooker with fruit or vegetables and cook on "low" overnight. Do not add water.
If adding meat, cook it separately and use the food processor to puree it.
Mash It
Use the food mill to crank the cooked food through. I use my Grandma's and it is some arm work, but they end result is lots of yummy, mushy baby food! The food mill separates all the peel and seeds, and leaves a homemade fruit-veggie sauce delight!
Store It
Put the food into jars and refrigerate. You can also freeze them in ice cube trays. Spray the tray with "Pam" to reduce sticking.
Store any pureed meat separately from the vegetables and fruit.
Serve It
If using meat, combine the pureed meat with the vegetables and fruit.
Microwave the food to warm it up -- make sure it's not too hot! If the food is a little thick, add some water and stir to get that perfect mushy baby food consistency.
My 5 qt. cooker, when filled with fresh apples and sweet potatoes, made 24 oz. of baby food! I then boiled a chicken breast, used my food processor to puree it, and then added the chicken to my veggies or fruit for a "dinner" meal!
