Tag Archives: kids

The Party Boy

Posted on March 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

My son loves a good birthday party, and from a kid’s perspective, what’s not to love?  He’s had all types of parties – bowling parties, Star Wars parties, karate parties, even a birthday party at Stew Leonard’s (a popular local food market – yes, they do parties!).  For him, parties are all about fun, friends, games, and presents.  Especially presents.  As much as he loves being the life of the party, I believe it’s the mountain of presents he receives that drives him to ask for a birthday bash every year, complete with balloons, custom cake, decorations, goody bags, the works.  And with anywhere from 15 to 25 guests (not including family), the gift haul was a considerable motivation to keep the party train going.  I have happily  hosted these parties for him (his delight at dancing the Limbo with Wow the Cow is priceless), but after 10 years of party planning I felt it was time to pull that train into the station.  So, I informed him that last year’s 10th birthday party was to be the final one.

Then in January, he began lobbying for a party for his 11th birthday in March (“really Mom, the last one!”).  He’s nothing if not persistent.  The fact that we’re not Jewish hasn’t stopped him from asking us to celebrate Hanukkah (more presents), and a bar mitzvah request down the road wouldn’t surprise me in the least.  And, pushover that I am, I agreed (to the 11th birthday party, not the bar mitzvah).  After all, it’s really going to be the last one.  But no big deal this time – a handful of friends and family at the local arcade for Lazer tag and pizza.  A small ice cream cake.  No balloons.  No decorations.  Call it party rehab.  A “non-party” party.

Presents?  Significantly scaled back.

“Awwww!” was the reply.  But he agreed.

And he had a great time.  He was a little disappointed about not having a lot of presents to open, but when he discovered that those few birthday cards contained cash and gift cards. . . maybe the “non-party” party isn’t such a bad deal after all.  But handwritten thank-you notes are still required.

“Awwww!”   :)

6th birthday party

Have you decided that it’s time for a birthday party intervention?  Or are you still in the throes of  kiddie  party planning?  I’d love to know!

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“Mom, I Forgot My ________!”

Posted on January 12, 2012 | 4 Comments

What mom hasn’t gotten that frantic phone call from their kid at school – “Mom, I forgot my ________!”  You can fill in the blank with any variety of items – homework, lunch, violin, lacrosse stick, glasses -whatever can get left behind usually does at one point or another.

If the same crazy chaos keeps happening day after day, like “Groundhog Day” for the school set, planning ahead and establishing some routines can streamline those manic mornings and help to better organize the day.  Get the kids to assist in the prep work – let them “earn points” redeemable for extra computer time or whatever else might motivate them to take part in setting up a plan of attack and sticking to it.  It’s just as easy to love a good routine as it is a bad one (I’m paraphrasing here), so check out some tips to help you get started:

  • Pack it up the night before – as soon as homework is completed, pack up all papers, books, folders, etc. into the back pack, zip it up and leave it in a centralized location (by the door, in the kitchen) every evening so it’s easy to locate in the morning.
  • Lay out clothes the night before.  It’s easier to let your child have a say in this the night before than fighting about it 5 minutes before you have to head out the door.  Everyday items like a watch or jewelry, wallet, or cellphone should also be included with the wardrobe.  And how many times have I heard “where are my glasses”?  Check out this cute glasses holder from The Container Store.  My son hasn’t misplaced his glasses since I put this on a shelf by his bed a few months ago.
  • Breakfast hassles? While multigrain cereal or some whole fruit are nutritious options, some mornings my son likes a hot breakfast.  He loves pancakes, so I make a batch on Sunday, freeze them, and then microwave them during the week for a hot, homemade breakfast any time.  Since I’m making my own, I can add bananas, walnuts, flax seeds - it’s healthier and less expensive than the frozen store-bought kind.
  • A calendar outlining activities and events for each day (math test, sports and club activities, music lessons, etc.) is a visual reminder of what items are needed to complete daily tasks – and gather them ahead of time.  It’s also a good place for writing down a to do list – charge cellphone, get lunch money, etc.  If kids can see what’s coming, it’s less overwhelming and easier to manage for everyone.  I use this erasable calendar decal from PBTeen.

These methods have cut down on my morning chaos and have helped my son stay organized – what strategies do you use to reign in the madness?  I’d love to hear about them and learn something new!

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Too Much Television!

Posted on January 8, 2012 | 2 Comments

It’s the question that all mothers ask at some point or another – how much television is too much? When I was pregnant with my son, I was determined that television was going to have a supporting role – maybe even a walk-on part – not a starring role in my son’s life.  I was the mom who played Baby Needs More Mozart and read Dr. Seuss to my baby in utero.  Books lined the shelves in his nursery, little soldiers waiting to be deployed in the battle against too much television.

Then the real world came crashing in.  At first, there was Sesame Street and a few select educational videos, and that was it.  Through friends and playgroups, Blues Clues and Dora the Explorer arrived on the scene, and he was enthralled with his little “Thinking Chair”-shaped notepad and crayon, “writing” down clues everywhere we went.

Around the 1st grade, he came home asking about Spongebob Squarepants.  All the other kids were watching it, and he wanted to watch it too.  At this point, I didn’t allow TV watching during the week, only on weekends.  So one Saturday afternoon we took a journey to a pineapple under the sea and met the denizens of Bikini Bottom.  Once again, he was hooked.  Me, not so much.  After a while, though, that little yellow sponge and his friends got the better of me, so much so that one summer we boarded the Nickelodeon Cruise to the Bahamas with Spongebob and all his friends.  I have to admit, we had a blast, with dad getting slimed in the process.

Fast forward to middle school.  The television watching rules during the week have been relaxed, as long as all homework and other responsibilities have been met.  And here is where I Iook for . . . balance.  Glazed eyes and slurred speech are a dead giveaway, of course, but if whatever’s flashing on the flat screen is taking away from something else, it’s time to act.  For example, if my son’s not showing off his newest Lego creation or the latest installment in a comic book he’s writing, or if we’re not engaging in a good old “well, what do you think?” session, that means there’s too much television.  Putting off going bike riding because there’s something on TV?  Too much.  Family time compromised (and this applies to all of us)?  Too much.  If a day or two goes by and I haven’t seen a book in his hand because of some can’t-miss TV show?  Too much.

These days when everything can be DVR’d or viewed on Netflix, television can take a back seat.  There are only so many hours in the day to engage in other pursuits and connect with each other; I don’t want my family giving that up to television.  Although, Wednesday night is “The Middle” night. . . .

 How do you balance television viewing in your family?  What’s your tipping point?

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Blog Dare 2012: What’s Something You Need Daily?

Posted on January 7, 2012 | 2 Comments

What couldn’t I get through the day without (aside from a shower, of course?)  As I thought about this question posed  as part of the Blog Dare 2012 on bloggymoms.com,  I came to the conclusion that it’s something I sometimes take for granted and would miss terribly if it wasn’t there:  Connection.

Whether listening to my son relate a hilarious story about lunch room hijinks, or commiserating (or celebrating!) with a friend over a cinnamon-scented cappuccino, or sharing details of the day with my husband – that human connection is the thread that weaves its way through my life daily.  While those moments of solitude, especially as a mom, are necessary and downright precious, it’s those connections that propel me forward.  What would I do without them?   What would you do?

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Tips to Help Your Child Write a Successful Book Report

Posted on January 2, 2012 | 10 Comments

Having a child who entered middle school this past September, I’ve found that completing those first middle school book reports can be a daunting task for any student, and if your child has an attention deficit as mine does, it can be even more challenging.  Reading through the book, keeping the sequence of events in order, identifying the main ideas and conflicts, even formulating opinions about the story can be very difficult tasks.  After some trial and error and, reflecting back to my own difficulties in this area, I found that employing the following strategies were essential to my child writing a successful book report.  Perhaps these tips can be helpful even if your child doesn’t have an attention deficit.

Select a properly leveled book to read

Make sure the book is at the proper reading level for your child.  A good rule of thumb that my son’s teacher follows is the “five finger rule” – if there are more than five words on the page that your reader is unfamiliar with, perhaps the material is too difficult and another book should be chosen.  Ask the teacher for guidance if you are unsure.

Read the book twice

If time allows, have your child read the book through twice.  I know, your child may balk at this idea (mine certainly did) but if the material is interesting enough, perhaps this won’t be a problem.

Take notes

Encourage your child to take notes on the material he’s just read.  Have him or her write down whatever captured their interest during their reading session and discuss it with them.

Keep a dictionary handy

If your child does happen to come across a word he or she is unfamiliar with during reading, encourage them to look it up.  It could help reinforce what they’ve just read, plus they learn a new vocabulary word.

Read the book along with them

I know this can be tough, but if time permits, read the book yourself also.  This way, you can discuss with and help your child make connections and also get a sense of how much content your child is absorbing.

Rough drafting and editing

When it comes time to start writing, have your child do a rough draft first.  This helps them organize their thoughts and review for those pesky grammar gremlins, like punctuation and sentence fragments, who love to steal precious points from reports.  Reviewing and revising a rough draft also provides an opportunity to ensure that the questions being answered are the ones the teacher has asked.

I will admit that my child was less than thrilled using these techniques at first.  To him, it just seemed like a lot of extra work.  But when the grade on his second book report increased by a full twenty points, he was beaming and so proud of himself!  He now uses the rough draft technique to answer even homework questions – not a bad return for a little extra effort.

What tips or strategies have you employed to help your child with book reports or homework?  What has worked for you?  I’d love to hear about it!

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Tips for Playroom Organization

Posted on December 29, 2011 | 4 Comments

Many a happy day has been whiled away in my son’s playroom, imagining and dreaming with little trains, planes and automobiles strewn in every corner!  It’s also been the site of a few mishaps – as cute as that little Mini Cooper is, it can be painful when you step on it with a bare foot!  I’ve tried many organizing strategies and solutions, and these are the tips that have worked best for me:

  • Before you embark on any organizing mission, if there is a closet in the playroom, clean it out.  That closet will become command central for your kids and their toys, and if they see it organized nicely and can find their toys easily, chances are (maybe) they’ll try to keep it that way.
  •  Clear plastic shoe organizers hung on the back of a door or inside a closet door are great “garages” for little cars and other small toys.
  •  For instant de-cluttering, make use of plastic storage bins or baskets that can be stored in the closet or under a bed.   Check out The Container Store or even dollar stores for colorful baskets in many sizes and shapes at reasonable prices.
  •  De-clutter your floor and make use of that blank wall with the many shelving options available today.  For a decorator look, paint the wall a funky accent color before you put up shelves.  I once painted a wall in the playroom fire-engine red and put up elfa shelves like these – they put the fun in functional.
  •  Save those shoeboxes and the planet!  Have your kids color and decorate them for creative, homemade storage that can also be used to grace those shelves you just installed.  Nothing says “playroom” like a storage box with a big pair of jiggling googly eyes staring out at you.
  •  Make use of double duty furniture.  When buying my son’s big boy bed, I made sure it was both comfy and had drawers for storage (his favorite place for stowing away Legos).  And that good old-fashioned toy chest?  Put a decorative pillow or cushion on the lid for extra seating.
  •  Don’t overlook Ziploc plastic bags for labeling and organizing puzzle pieces and doll accessories.
  •  Book cases are great for mixed use storage.  Add some baskets filled with toys alongside the books for a neat, organized look.
  •  Repurpose what you have at home by thinking outside the box – in this case, tool boxes, old Tupperware, anything that’s not being used for its original purpose but still has storage capacity can be used to store dolls, action figures, whatever needs a home.

The idea is to mix and match the solutions that work for you.  Pay attention to how and when your kids play with and use their toys, and match your organizing solution to their usage.  If some toys are used every day, maybe an open basket on the floor where the toys are easily accessible (and can be put in a closet or rolled under the bed at the end of the day) is the right fit.  Perhaps other toys that are used more infrequently can go up on a shelf or in a closet.  And toys that aren’t used any longer and still in good condition can be donated to charity or, if your kids are older, check and see if their old preschool can make use of them.

Everyone is going to have a different take on organizing, but I’ve found that whatever works for you is the right solution.  Be creative, have fun, and happy organizing!

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