Ok… i’m odd I know. For whatever reason, I like finding recipies for homemade cleaners. This morning I ran out of dishwashing detergent. So of course I Googled it.   I came across this new one I had to share:

Make Your Own Natural Dishwasher/Scouring Powder

By: Lynn Siprelle

For some time now I’ve been experimenting with making my own dishwasher powder. I’ve tinkered with the basic formula, even at one point adding Kool-Aid to it (for the citric acid–it turned out to be a crucial step in figuring the formula out). In further experimentation I’ve discovered it makes a decent no-scratch scouring powder as well, more like Bon Ami than Comet.

What I’ve discovered is that it doesn’t work as well as some of the commercial detergents; however I have found that it works just as well as the major ” green alternative” dishwasher detergents, if not a little better, and at a fraction of the cost. If you don’t like scraping your dishes and rinsing them off, you won’t like homemade powder; I found you had to be diligent about getting all food particles off your dishes because the dishwasher powder will not do it for you. Of course, many dishwashers require you to do this anyway, but oftentimes people are lazy. Like, uh, me. But this is so much easier on the environment and the pocketbook it’s worth taking the time to properly prepare the dishes I’ve found.

The formula
Here, after much experimenting, is the formula for dishwashing powder.

In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:
1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places–if you haven’t tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you’ll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)
30 drops citrus essential oil–lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture

Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

To use, put a tablespoon or so into each cup of your dishwasher. I’ve found I no longer have to use the scrubbing cycle but can get by fine with the short cycle, thus saving even more money. On average, it looks like this is about 8 cents a load compared with Cascade at 22 cents a load. Compare it with EcoVer or Seventh Generation and it’s a steal. I have also started putting some of this in a shaker canister–the one I have we got at a restaurant supply, it’s aluminum and was made for popcorn salt. I use it to clean my sink and anything else that I’d normally use Bon Ami on. Works great, and the essential oil makes it smell fantastic.

If you experiment with this, add to the comments on this page, I’d love to know what your experiences are.

Like most little boys, my son loves cars. From his car bed, to the little cars I find in my purse on an occasion, nothing makes him happier than something with wheels. So for his 4th birthday, I decided he would love a car theme for a party at his preschool. However, I am short of time so I needed something quick and simple. Putting on my thinking cap at the grocery store, here’s what I came up with.

Here’s what you need:

• Cake mix
• Frosting
• candy sprinkles (optional)
• Mini Snickers
• Hershey’s Kissables (colored)

Here’s what you do: Make cupcakes according to the directions on the box. Frost and sprinkle candy sprinkles on the cupcake. Take 1 mini snicker and push 4 colored Hershey’s kissables into the body of the snicker to act as wheels. The point on the kissables will act similar to a thumb tact and the shell will be hard enough to push into the snicker. That’s it!

I was so happy that these cupcakes, as simple as they were, turned out so cute. While I was making these cute creations, I thought of more ways to use these little cars.

Train - make several cars like above, and attach each car with a thin licorice lace. To make the engine, attach a rolo cut in 1/2 on top.

Bus – Use a regular sized snickers bar, attach several wheels under the candy bar similar to a bus. (4 on each end for a total of 8 wheels)

Semi truck – First, create the trailer from a regular sized snickers bar and make the truck out of a mini snickers. You could shape it to look like a truck by stacking a small piece on top of the small snickers so it is in the shape of an “L”Attach trailer to the truck with a small piece of thin licorice lace.

I’m so excited to bring these cupcakes to preschool tomorrow as I’m sure the kids will love them. Of course I know the first thing my son will eat are the wheels!

Cooperation…how can we teach it to our kids?

As a mother of two children whose age gap is 6 years, sibling rivalry is a consistent thing in our house. Like with many families, getting children to learn how to work together can be a tough challenge. Too many kids play to win and forget good sportsmanship is more important then the end result. Since children learn though play, I thought it would be nice if “I” played with them and teach this valuable lesson. So with the help of other children, we played these team building games.

Make a spider web

What you need: white yarn, stuffed animal spider or spider rings

Before you start: Have the children sit in a circle. Ask them if they think humans can make spider webs? Of course they will giggle and say no. Tell them although we don’t have 8 arms, we can work together using our two arms to create a spider web.

How you play: Pass the yarn around the circle gently without throwing. Once they get a ball of yarn, they must hold on to their part of the string with one hand and pass it to the next person they choose. Each person will take turns until the web is spun. Once you have a complete web that will hold a spider, place the spider or spider rings on top of the web. Ask the children to work together and try to move the web without dropping the spiders.

Funny stories

What you need: Mad libs or make up your own mad libs either from the web or writing your own story. For little ones, use stickers or give them suggestions of words as they can use as they won’t know a noun, pronoun or verb.

How you play: Tell the children we will work together to create our own funny story. Go around the room and ask each child to pick a word you will use to fill in the blanks. When you are finished, read the story out loud. Everyone is sure to laugh!

Make a snack

What you need: Pieces of fruit such as apples, oranges, bananas, cherries, etc. Verify with the parents prior if any child has a certain allergy prior to selecting the fruit. Whipped topping, bowls, plastic knives, a large bowl, paper plates.

How you play: tell the children we will use our cooperation skills to make a fruit salad. Assign each child a task such as “banana cutter” or “apple slicer”. Once they are finished cutting the fruit have a “salad mixer”mix and dish the fruit salad to everyone. if children complain about a certain type of fruit, remind them that working together also means accepting things they may not always like. So if they don’t want to eat the fruit then set it aside and not eat it.

In the end, my kids learned that playing together can be fun and does not always have to be a fight. Has that stopped sibling rivalry… course not! But at least the message was conveyed in a fun and supportive activity.

A few months ago my kids asked me if they could make a volcano. I tried to procrastinate this activity given the fact I knew it would take days to complete. However, given the fact I’m a science geek, I decided why the heck not! So over the course of 3 days, we made our own exploding volcano. Although it wasn’t perfect the kids had a “blast”!

Day 1: gathering supplies and molding the volcano

Since I wanted to find a way to make a volcano that contain the messiness, I decided to pick up the following supplies:

• 1 large tub
• 1 soda bottle
• vinegar
• baking soda
• supplies for salt dough ( 1 cup flour, 1 cup salt, 3/4 cup water)

Steps:

1. Make the salt dough by mixing the flour and salt together. Then add water. I mixed mine in a food processor. My 1st batch was too runny so started over and slowly mixed the water until it was dough like consistency.
2. Once the dough is made, layer the dough on top of the soda bottle until it forms a cone. Be careful you don’t add any inside of the soda bottle. What helped was to keep the lid on the bottle until I was ready to work on the sides. This process can take some time depending upon the size of your bottle

Day 2: Uh Oh, there’s cracks in the side. Let’s decorate anyway

1. Since I did not have enough salt dough, overnight it formed cracks and gaps where you could see the bottle. I decided to leave it for effect.
2. The kids and I painted our creations. I let them paint it different colors, use plastic dinosaurs, rocks from outside, sticks from the trees and plants to make a prehistoric scenery. Since the dough was not completely dry, they were able to place their decorations on and around the volcano.

Day 3: Exploding our volcanoes!

1. I placed 2 tablespoons of baking soda, liquid soap, and a few drops of red food coloring inside the volcano.
2. Then with a gravy cup measure (it has a perfect spout), I filled the volcano with vinegar.
3. Viola! Our volcanoes erupted with a nice consistent flow of red lava. Since the dough was not completely dry, it appeared to “melt” the sides. The kids were able to see the change of before and after. We were able to talk about what molten lava does to rock.

The cracks on the side? Well, once the volcanoes stopped erupting, the kids were able to see the red liquid inside the volcano. We discussed the difference between an active, dominate and extinct volcano. Ironically, our flawed volcano became a teaching tool!

This weekend my family and I enjoyed our traditional Easter festivities. We attended my son’s church for a traditional Easter egg hunt.  Since the eggs were filled with candy and my kids had a bag filled with eggs, I knew  they had more than enough to make themselves sick.

So for our own hunt, I didn’t want more candy considering they already will be getting their chocolate bunnies and peeps.  I could have filled the eggs with money but I had limited time to fill tons of eggs  and  had a small budget.  However, I was determined to do something fun despite it all. I decided instead filled eggs,  we would have our own scavenger egg hunt!

How you do it:

1. Pick a starter egg. Write a clue or direction and place it inside the egg.

2. In the next egg, place another clue or direction to a different place around the house.

3. Keep repeating until you get to the end prize. Their basket filled with goodies!

 Optional:  For older kids you could make it more challenging. Instead of giving them exact clues, you could give them a riddle or tell them to find a certain color egg in a particular part of the house. 

At first my kids saw the eggs around the yard and was jumping up and down wanting to pick them up. When I told them it was a “different type of hunt” they were a bit confused. Once I explained the rules, they got it immediately.  They were excited about the  hunt and just wanted to start! 

Although we didn’t have as many eggs as you would with a regular egg hunt, once they found their big prize at the end, they didn’t even care.  All they cared about was the fact they went hunting. What I realized this Easter is sometime less really is more!

A few weeks ago, I attended a teacher’s training as I work with special needs children. They covered an interesting parenting and classroom management technique called 1-2-3 Magic by Dr. Phelan.

The principle from what I understood: When children misbehave they do it to push our buttons on purpose. They are testing us and they know what they are doing. Kids need boundaries to see how little or much they can get away with. The problem happens we as parents/teachers “buy” take the bait. Tempers flair and discipline is not reinforced. What happens in result is diversion from the issue and confusion on both sides.

How it works: When a child misbehaves, argues, or whines all you need to do is simply say “ok that’s 1″ and hold up 1 finger. If they push it again, 5 seconds later “ok that’s 2″ and hold up 2 fingers. If they still push your buttons, say “Ok that’s  3. Go take 10″ (which means time out, go to their room or face the wall depending upon your preference). Over time the kids will understand and stop even before you get to 3. In addition, you will eventually be able to “train” your children and during outings all you have to do is raise your finger.

The 2 key points the trainer told us to remember is the following:

• Don’t talk
• Be emotionless

According to the training, the problem with parents is we overly talk to our kids when disciplining. Then if the don’t understand, we get mad. We think they should think like us when in fact they think like children.

When children are determined, no matter what we say, nothing will get though to them. They have tunnel vision. They will will beg, plead or throw fits to get what they want or attention even if it’s negative reinforcement. In return, we get even more frustrated and angry. If we stop a child as quickly as possible before they reach that state of elevation, it will save us from lengthy tantrums and the children will eventually learn self control.

In addition, special needs children need the same types of reinforcement. If they aren’t verbal, have downs syndrome or a learning delay, children will be able to understand the simple numbers and hand gestures over time with enough consistent reinforcement. It’s less complicated for them to understand and you to implement.

Skeptical – I decided to implement this process at home. To my surprise – my kids got the concept immediately. I explained to them what I was going to do and what it meant. They understood when mom got to 3 it meant trouble.

However, the problem wasn’t them, but ME! i realized that I was afraid of being a bit “firm” on them and used too much logic and discussion. I talked too much! I gave too many chances vs just sticking to 1-2-3 (your out!)

Now, trying to convince a 4 year old he couldn’t have cereal at bed time seems like a silly discussion, but I found myself trying to talk him down when he said “please please please…” (he’s 4… what was I thinking!) I also found myself frustrated when my daughter of 9 whining over TV or computer. It seemed like when I showed her “my emotions’ she only returned by being more emotional… as any girl would. So if anything, the training was useful as it made me more attentive and aware of my own discipline tactics and consistency.

1-2-3 magic is starting to work but just like I am training my children, I have to train myself to keep my logical and emotional side behind when dealing with an illogical child.

To learn more about 1-2-3 magic visit http://www.parentmagic.com/

Foamies have become very popular during the past couple of years. You can find them in all shapes and sizes and for almost every holiday. They are great for children’s craft projects, but anyone can use them to make easy, creative greeting cards. I found a big tub of Valentine’s Day foamies at Walmart for just a couple of dollars, so I decided to try my hand at making homemade Valentine’s Day cards with them.This Valentine’s Day project is a great activity to do with your kids. Children as young as toddlers can stick the foamies on the cards after you have done the initial cutting and gluing. Preschoolers can even help with that part. While I was getting the cards ready to put together, I gave my toddlers some blank paper and a handful of heart-shaped foamies, and they had a great time sticking them all over their pieces of paper.

I came up with four different designs for my Valentine’s Day cards. The materials listed below will make one of each of the four cards.

Materials:

- Four pieces of red card stock
- One piece of white card stock
- Valentine’s Day foamies
- Paper cutter, scissors
- Glue stick
- Decorative scissors

First use the paper cutter to cut the red card stock into the desired sizes for your cards. I usually determine the sizes of my cards by the envelopes I have to put them in. I have a stack of envelopes of all different sizes, so each card can end up being a different size.

Card #1:

Turn the first card to open horizontally. I cut out four small squares of white card stock to glue in the center of the card to form one large square, with just a little space in between squares. I then placed a large red foamie heart in the center of each white square.

Card #2:

This card will also open horizontally. For this one I cut out eight small white squares and glued them in two rows of four squares across the face of the card. In the center of each square I placed a small heart foamie, alternating pink and red hearts. I trimmed the bottom edge of the front of the card with decorative scissors.

Card #3:

Turn this card to open vertically. I cut a large square out of white card stock and trimmed around all the edges of the square with decorative scissors. I glued the white square in the center of the card and placed a large red foamie heart in the center of the square.

Card #4:

This card will also open vertically. First I cut a piece of white card stock into the shape of a rectangle, to be slightly smaller than the face of the card. I next trimmed around the edges of the rectangle with decorative scissors. I then cut two red pieces of cardstock into the shapes of squares and glued them one above the other inside the white rectangle. Next I cut out two white squares to fit inside the red squares. Lastly, I placed a medium-sized red foamie in the center of each white square.

That’s it! These Valentine’s Day cards are fun for anyone to make. You can make them in less than half an hour and people will think you slaved over them for hours!

Courtesy of Rachel Paxton

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

In the Buddhist class I teach to children, I decided to read one of my son’s favorite stories called “The Big Orange Splot” written by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. This book is a bright and cheerful story about a man, inspired by a seagull spilling orange paint on his house, decided to be different then the rest. At first his neighbors were not pleased, but after sipping lemon aid and talking though the night, everyone on his street learned about self expression.

The lesson: While reading the story, ask the children to think about the following.

Everyone on the street wanted to be the same. Do you think Mr Plumbean had “lost his marbles” because he wanted to be different? Can you think of times at school your friends didn’t understand you because you liked different things? The purpose of this question is to get kids thinking about how we judge each other, from the things we like to the clothes we wear.

How do you think he felt when people were upset? Did that stop him from wanting to be like his dreams? Focus on the fact Mr Plumbean did not get angry when other people were judging him. Also, he still continued to paint his house differently despite the criticism. Remind the children that just because you like or do different things, you should not let other people sway you away from your dreams.

How did Mr Plumbean convince his neighbors being different is ok? Remind the children Mr Plumbean only talked to his neighbors about why he choose to paint his house differently. In return, his neighbors understood him better and stopped judging him for being different. Focus on the importance of communication and “listening and learning” Remind the children that when you choose to understand someone better, you never know what you will discover!

Are all the houses the same or different? Point out in the pictures how some houses have similar colors, although different styles. Other houses have the same style (castle) but different colors. Remind the children that not all 2 houses are the same, but there are qualities that are similar. It is the same with our friends and no two friends will be exactly alike. We may like the same things but we are always a bit different. Remind the children to truly be a friend to someone is to accept their differences and similarities.

The Craft: To reinforce this lesson, I had each child create their own “about me” posters to share with each other.

What you need:

• stickers, clip art and magazines of popular items children like. Pictures to find may include animals, cartoons, food, TV shows, sports, etc.
• poster board
• pens, pencils, markers
• glue sticks

What you do: Ask each child to make a poster of who they are, what they like, and what makes them unique. Prepare a “teacher” example. Some items to include on the poster would be your favorite color, your favorite animal, sports you play, your favorite cartoons, etc.

After the children’s posters are complete, tell them “we will use our communication like Mr Plumbean and listen and learn from each other. ” Have each child talk about their posters to the group and remind the other children the importance of listening to each other.

The lesson was a big hit! it was lovely to see each child was proud of their differences but was excited to learn some kids were actually the same.

Many friends have laughed at me throughout the years because I make my own laundry detergent. First, I wanted to because with a household filled with kids and a load of laundry a day, I wanted to save money. Also, I justified it because I wanted something that wouldn’t be harsh to our clothing while still removing the stains.

Then in a sick twisted way, I started enjoying the process of mixing chemicals to create something useful. There was something fun about melting, mixing and watching my laundry soap turn to a yellow goo. Ok… I’ll confess. I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up and I adored chemistry. So, it became more of a science experiment in the end.

Throughout the past 6 years I’ve experimented with all sorts of recipes. From different types of soaps, different laundry additives and liquids and powders. At one point I started from scratch and made my soap from lye that later turned into my laundry soap but that was a bit too neurotic.

Anyway, if you are as adventures as me, here’s how you do it.

What you need:

All ingredients can be found at your local grocery store in the laundry isle.

• 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap, shaved
• 4 cups of hot water to melt the soap
• 3 gallons of hot water
• 1 cup of borax
• 2 cups of washing soda
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 1 large Rubbermaid container about 4-5 gallons size

Here’s what you do

1. Grade the soap into a saucepan. For a quick and easy way, I use my food processor. Since it’s soap, I don’t worry if it will get on the appliance as it will just wash off
2. Add 4 cups of hot water. Simmer on low until it melts completely
3. Add borax, washing soda and baking soda to the hot water. Simmer on low until it desolves with the soap. If the mixture is not melting, add more water if needed.
4. Add 3 gallons of hot water to the large container. Add the mixture to the hot water. Mix with a large spoon until it completely dissolves.
5. Let cool overnight.
6. Use 1 cup per load loads

Few comments about the soap

• It will not be a solid gel but more a watery gel similar to egg noodle soup.
• This is low sud soap. If you do not see suds that’s OK. Don’t panic. Its the ingredient the soap that cleans the clothes.
• The nice thing about the soap is that it’s ideal for stains, soaking, carpets, and gentile on clothing.
• Since you know what goes in the soap, you know it’s phosphorus free!
• If you want to add a fragrance, simply add 1/2 to 1 oz of essential oil.
• You can substitute, Zote (found at Hispanic supermarkets) ivory soap, detergent soap, and beauty bars for Fels Naptha soap.
• If you add oxi clean to this recipe it does change the chemical consistency of the end product. I found it made my soap grainy and didn’t like that.

For Powder: use 1 cup of grated soap, 1/2 cup of washing soda, 1/2 cup of borax, 1/2 cup of borax. Use a food processor to turn the soap into small powdery chunks and mix with remanding ingredients. Use 1 tablespoon for light loads and 2 tablespoons for heavier loads

For Liquid: Use the regular laundry soap recipe and mix 2 table spoons of Glycerin. This should turn the mixture into a liquid form.

Ever sence my boyfriend he said “Honey, I know you are trying to save money, please at least let me buy you some laundry soap,” I haven’t made a batch in awhile. But I will admit, I miss making it. Some things never change, I guess.

Every year people make New Years resolutions. What about the kids?? Here are some ideas about age appropopriate New Years resolutions for kids from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

Preschoolers

• I will clean up my toys.
• I will brush my teeth twice a day, and wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
• I won’t tease dogs – even friendly ones. I will avoid being bitten by keeping my fingers and face away from their mouths.

Kids, 5- to 12-years-old

• I will drink milk and water, and limit soda and fruit drinks.
• I will apply sunscreen before I go outdoors. I will try to stay in the shade whenever possible and wear a hat and sunglasses, especially when I’m playing sports.
• I will try to find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, dancing or riding my bike) that I like and do it at least three times a week!
• I will always wear a helmet when bicycling.
• I will wear my seat belt every time I get in a car. I’ll sit in the back seat and use a booster seat until I am tall enough to use a lap/shoulder seat belt.
• I’ll be nice to other kids. I’ll be friendly to kids who need friends – like someone who is shy, or is new to my school.
• I’ll never give out personal information such as my name, home address, school name or telephone number on the Internet. Also, I’ll never send a picture of myself to someone I chat with on the computer without my parent’s permission.

Kids, 13-years-old and up

• I will eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day, and I will limit the amount of soda I drink.
• I will take care of my body through physical activity and nutrition.
• I will choose non-violent television shows and video games, and I will spend only one to two hours each day – at the most – on these activities.
• I will help out in my community – through volunteering, working with community groups or by joining a group that helps people in need.
• I will wipe negative “self talk” (i.e. “I can’t do it” or “I’m so dumb”) out of my vocabulary.
• When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find constructive ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or discussing my problem with a parent or friend.
• When faced with a difficult decision, I will talk with an adult about my choices.
• I will be careful about whom I choose to date, and always treat the other person with respect and without coercion or violence.
• I will resist peer pressure to try drugs and alcohol.
• When I notice my friends are struggling or engaging in risky behaviors, I will talk with a trusted adult and attempt to find a way that I can help them.

How do you help your child reach their resolutions?

• For younger children, make a “star” chart, tracking the number of times they accomplish their resolution.
• At each mile stone give them small little rewards. For instance if a child is making a resolution to remove negative words from their vocabulary, keep a jar where you deposit coins in every day accomplish their goal. At the end of a few months give them the money jar filled with coins. For younger children, trinkets like picking from a treasure box should be enough of an incentive. The goal is to recognize and encourage baby steps vs the attention on the eventual goal.
• For older children who like to write their thoughts, give them a special journal. ask them to write in the journal about their successes and struggles with the resolution.
• Keep the reinforcements positive. Since resolutions are goals, do not punish them if they do not succeed. Keep encouraging them.
• Make a family commitment. Each person in the family make 1 resolution. Ask everyone in the family to keep encouraging one another in their goal. Focus on the positives of encouragement and not “telling” if the other does not succeed.

To purchase other books about parenting, please visit our parenting section at Clever Squirrel.

When I was a child my parents took me to see the Iditarod Dog Sled Race in Alaska. It was some of the fondest memories I’ve had as a child. Ever sence then, I love watching dog sled races. I’m a big fan of the Siberian Husky. So when I found the movie “Snow Dogs” I definatly had to watch it with my kids.

The plot of the movie was nothing thrilling. It was a bit far “fetched. ” A dentist in Miami finding out he was adopted and inhearits a team of sled dogs??? Come now. What next can Disney think of?

The kids and I kept watching and waiting until we saw the dogs. A few scenes, my daughter enjoyed and laughed despite the fact I thought they were silly. However, to it’s credit, I thought they did a fairly good job of portraying Alaska’s brutal weather and beautiful scenery.

Unless you enjoy Alaska and have a big appreciation towards dog sledding, this movie probably isn’t for you. In fact you would find it a waste of time. For the kids, they will enjoy watching the pups but most likely either won’t understand or get bored with the concept of the plot.

To buy other children’s movies please visit the children’s section at Underground Discs.

Now that the Christmas holiday is over, I have some time to reflect.

Over the past several years, I have been often disgusted at the focus on gifts and gift giving. I have seen friends or family’s satisfaction be directly related to the quality or quantity of gifts. I’ve listened to people carry on about what they are getting others as if it was a badge of honor and the judgment they’ve given you when you aren’t doing the same.

It became nothing more than a grand production of purchasing for the sake of purchasing. Do we honestly need more things? Some justify it because they feel it’s the “thought” that counts when you give a gift. Do we truly think that having more stuff means people love and care about you more? Should our affection and friendship be contingent upon what people give you during the holidays? Have we become that shallow?

Each year I felt sick to my stomach filled with anxiety over the feelings of guilt. Each year I fretted over buying for grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, co-workers, not to mention my children and the feelings of shame if I did not. Each year I dealt with “drama” if I didn’t do what I was expected to do, despite the fact I wanted something different. Each year I had debt. When it reached the point of vulgarity, negative feelings and resentment, I made the decision to change directions. Was I risking upsetting others? Sure…but I had enough.

A friend of mine asked me to define holidays. If what I was doing wasn’t satisfying, then what did I need to change? I could have blamed others or the media year after year. Or I could make the decision to be a bit different and take charge of my holidays.

When I asked myself those questions the word “traditions” came to mind. Traditions is a word that often is overlooked but I think is the vital part of creating a healthy childhood. When I was a child it wasn’t the gifts I got that I remembered, but more the experiences I had with my family. From decorating the tree, to making Christmas cookies with my mother. It was listening to Christmas music on the huge stereo we had in the living room. It was still believing that Santa would come after we go to our grandparents house. Or drinking hot chocolate with a candy cane. It was the simple things that happened during the holidays that made me remember this special time.

So this year, we experienced the holiday season! Here’s some of the things we’ve done during the month of December.

• Made a gingerbread houses out of graham crackers
• Drove around for hours looking at Christmas lights
• Asked my children to collect their unused toys to donate to others who are in need
• Sprinkled reindeer food all over the yard (glitter and oats)
• Sang Christmas songs for the needy (caroling for coats) in the neighborhood
• Sang songs in the car
• Listened to Queen’s Speech (a part of our family is from England)
• Watched my son sing at a Christmas concert
• Invited a friend over on Christmas Day to enjoy a nice meal as he did not have family here.
• Although we aren’t a religious household, we talked about what Christmas really is (birth of Jesus)
• Stayed home!!

Did I buy presents? Sure…. Did I make my children buy me a present? No. If they wanted to give, the choice was theirs. When they made that choice, I knew it was because they wanted to, not because someone told them they should. It was genuine and not manufactured by some external influence. The decorations they made on the tree and the cards they drew are more important than them spending useless money on things I probably don’t even need.

As adults, gift giving wasn’t a need. We knew we loved one another. We laughed, cried, and shared thoughts with one another over the past month. We weren’t pretending. We truly enjoyed having the extra time together. No diamonds or an expensive gift was worth those moments of connection. Just having that was enough for me.

In result, giving my children moments of magical times and spending time with the ones I adore made this holiday season exactly what I wanted.

To purchase other books about parenting, please visit our parenting section at Clever Squirrel.

When I was a little girl, I remember reading “Mr Willowby’s Christmas Tree” by Robert Berry. First published in 1963, this story is lovely tale about how a Christmas tree was too too tall and tossed aside. Throughout the story, many people and creatures found this little discarded tree, provided a home for it but once, chopped it as it too tall for their homes. In the end, a mouse who lived in Mr Wallowby’s house was thrilled to have a tree for Christmas just like Mr Wallowby!

The lesson: When I planned a lesson for the children, I thought this would be a perfect story to reinforce the power of recycling, sharing and giving away unwanted things during Christmas time. That someone’s “trash” maybe someone’s “treasure”. We must be aware of what we throw away. During the story ask them the following questions to get them thinking and interacting:

What happens to things when it goes in the trash? The goal is to have them understand it’s larger than just going in the dumpster and a truck picks it up. Explain the trash is taken to a landfill and the length of time it sits while decomposing.

What are things we should “save” instead of throw away? Ask the children to think of things they know are good to recycle. Egg cartons, paper products, glass, soda cans are good examples.

What are things that you can share with others that you no longer need or enjoy? The goal is to have the children think about things around their house they may not need. for instance if they have a friend that likes Barbie dolls but they do not like Barbie dolls anymore, rather than throw them away, give them to their friend.

The craft

Since it was christmas time we decided to make bells out of egg shells. I explained to the children that just like the animals in the story, we can take something we no longer need, cut it, decorate it and make it into something that someone else will enjoy.

What you need:

• Old egg cartons
• Scissors
• string or pipe cleaners
• Jingle bells or small bells
• Glitter
• Craft paint
  

Preparation: Cut the egg carton into separate cups. With the point of the scissors or a sharp pencil, poke a hole in the bottom of each cup. Before you paint, string the bell and push both ends though the hole of the bottom of the cup. Tie at the top. As long as the hole itself is smaller than the bell, the bell will be secure and jingle.

Decorate each cup however you like. Mix glitter into your paints for a quick colorful sparkle effect or simply sprinkle the glitter on top of the cups. By stringing the cups prior, it makes the bells much easier to move and relocate while drying.

In the end, the children loved their bells and couldn’t wait to hang them on their trees or doorknobs at home. I was happy that my favorite story was passed along to other children to enjoy.

To purchase other great children’s stories, please visit our early readers children selection at Clever Squirrel

My daughter is a fanatic about animals. After hearing many great reviews, I decided to finally watch March of the Penguins. Not only was I amazed at the cinematography of this film, but also thrilled the narrator was one of my favorite, distinguished voices, Morgan Freeman.

What I was most entranced by was the emotional expression the director captured. From the penguin reunions to the sadness when an egg was lost. It makes me ponder that all living things, both human and animal, have the same basic needs of love, connection and survival.

If you are looking for a film that will capture the imagination and attention of a child under 5, this film probably isn’t suited for that audience. My son of 3 was bored out of his mind after the “Cool, it’s a penguin” excitement was over. Happy Feet was much more his speed. However, for children who loves animals and and can understand documentaries, it was a perfect fit. For adults, I would highly recommend anyone taking the time to watch this wonderfully documented story.

To buy March of the Penguins DVD, please visit the children’s section at Underground Discs.

My dear friend wanted to have a special party for her daughter turning 2. So, I thought about an easy way to have a quick and simple birthday party perfect for toddlers. I was thrilled that the theme she wanted was carebears!

The Cloud Race

Set up: With a black marker, number the cups 1 to 8. Tape the cups to the floor with the openings facing the same direction. Place the higher numbers further away from the smaller numbers. Make small balls (clouds) out of pillow batting.

Game: Use the straws to blow the clouds into the cups. The person with the highest points wins!

Pin the heart on the carebear

Preparation: Draw a large picture of a carebear on poster board. Cut out 3 hearts on construction paper. You can use a heart, star, rainbow, or sun depending upon what carebear is your favorite.

Game: Just like pin the tail on the donkey, spin each child around in 3 circles and let them place the heart on the carebear.

Search the clouds

Preparation: Place pillow batting in a large box. Dump candy and toys into a box.

Game: Give each child a bag and have them “search the clouds” for goodies!

Other party ideas

As my friend did not want many games, we agreed just a few would be suitable for her party. However any of the following activities would also be fun for children.

Make a coloring book: here are great links to carebear themed coloring pages

• Carebear Coloring Pages – coloring book fun
• Coloring Book pages – about.com
• Carebear Pages – coloringbookpages.com

Scoop the clouds: use a ice cream scoop and see how many they could “catch” in 1 minute!

Drink a rainbow: using a bit of food coloring, drop different colors into a clear glass of sprite. Let them “swirl” the rainbow with a straw.

Find the carebear: cut out patterns of hearts or suns. Set a pathway around the house leading them to the prize. Have each team follow their “picture” to find the carebear!

Build a bear workshop: find inexpensive bears or carebears. Remove the seems with a seam riper about an inch. Save the stuffing. Sew fabric hearts for the children to “add love” to each bear. During the party, have the children stuff the bears and adding their special heart inside each bear. You could also have other areas set up such as beads for necklaces and clothing.

In the end my friend loved the party and it was the easiest party I have ever planned! What mattered most was the kids were happy….

For other great party planning ideas, please visit our party book section at Clever Squirrel.

When my daughter was diagnosed with autism, I struggled for days on the best method to tell her. I wanted to create something that explained to her, having a diagnosis isn’t the end of the world. It’s just a part of many different things (skills) she possesses. Children of all types, have different skills, some need help, some don’t.

When I thought about what is the best way, I came up with a visual way to show her with the use of graphics. Not only was it easier for her to understand, it was also easier for me to explain a life changing concept. CLICK HERE to download her presentation.

In the past we’ve used story boards to also help her understand situational concepts. Powerpoint has a wonderful way of animating the actions where you can make them interesting and interactive.

Courosy of Gopher Girl
To purchase other books about parenting, please visit our parenting section at Clever Squirrel. 

On-line security for kids is a real topic for parents. The internet when used properly can be a powerful educational tool for children. At the same time, it can be very detrimental. It is in my opinion networking sites like myspace, only blurs the line between what is reality and what is the truth. They have limited control and there is no way of truly monitoring the content of these sites.

Children do not have the emotional maturity to recognize what is a dangerous contact and who they consider are their friends. The on-line world is no different then reality. The assumption is, if he/she is the same age, shares the same interests and lives in the same city then that must be true. If he/she says he is my friend and wants to meet me to talk or play, then it’s no different than a friend at school. We as parents know that isn’t always the case!

Even if there is no direct contact with the child and a parent monitors who is added as “their friend”, networking sites link into other profiles. Its too easy to obtain enough information about the child simply by searching their friends or reading posts the child made either on someone’s site or a message board. Should we put our children at risk just because they want to connect with others?

When my daughter came home one day, stating her friend had a myspace page and she wanted one too. When I asked her if she knew what myspace was, she did not have any idea. She just wanted what her friend had. Therefore, I decided a good alternative would be to create her own website where I controlled the content. So we created www.artofvee.com. She could share it with her friend, but at the same time be safe. Not to mention, I could keep family and friends updated on her activities and developments as she is a special needs child

When designing a site for your child, here are things to remember:

Personal information: Do not list your city where you live, location of school, or any child’s personal information you do not want for public consumption. Eliminate any method of contacting the child directly. If a child has his or her own email address, only share that with friends and family but do not post it on-line.

Parent’s Statement: Enclose a statement or disclaimer that this site is monitored by a parent and there is no information to contact the child. Also inform users of the site all content has parent approval and is kid friendly. I would highly recommend providing a method either by form or email for another parent to contact you directly for further questions or concerns. The goal is to discourage potential predators but still encourage feedback from other parents.

Kid Approved links and content: While designing your site, pay careful attention to the content of the sites you link. Clearly you don’t want to link into pornography or graphically violent sites. FCC has specific guidlines when marketing to children. You can view their information at Kidz Privacy. Making sure that links do not point to non-kid friendly sites can be tricky. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

www.youtube.com. I wanted to create a pink panther page so I went to find cartoon videos you can post on your site. I later discovered after I posted the cartoon of pink panther, at the end of the movie, it gave a selections of other videos you can view. Little did i know, one of the videos contained a very provokotive dance to the Pink Panther Theme song! I quickly removed it and searched to find an alternate. Since You Tube recommended selection is key word based, it took me a few hours to find a clip that only offered kid friendly videos at the end. It was time consuming but worth the effort.

On-line gaming sites: Some on-line gaming sites have free games you can post on your website. Most of the sites will link back into the main site where users can view other on-line games. Some of the sites may or may not contain contain appropriate content depending upon the age. So be selective and restrict sites you don’t want your children viewing. There are many different types of online software such as Cyber Patrol that helps parents control not only the content they see, but also monitors their time on the internet.

Create restrictive access pages: Restrict any areas you would like to post more personal information like a family calendar, specific school events, etc. Only give select friends and family access to this information.

How do I design my site?

There are on-line communities like geocities that offer free on-line website building. My concern with using that type of service for a children’s site is the advertising. You can not avoid it and its clickable! Therefore, I would recommend using a hosting company like http://www.1and1.com/ beginner or home package. For a few bucks a month, these types of services offer DIY templates where you can create and design your own site without the worry of advertising and pop ups. Or you can design your site yourself though applications like MS Frontpage, Adobe Dreaweaver or MS Publisher. In addition, you will have the ability to select your own URL which is much easier for a child to remember then a lengthy address. So to me, it is worth the expense.

If you don’t have the time and would like to surprise your child with a custom design, I offer a reasonably priced package for a custom made websites. Please visit Gopher Girl’s kid spaces package for more information. Just as I am enjoying creating sites for my own children, I would be thrilled to help your family create a safe and secure place tailoring to your child’s likes and interests.

As her site develops she has a great sense of pride in showing all her friends and family her “cool site” not to mention spend hours just playing with the games, reading the educational material, and watching the fun movies. Most importantly, I have the security knowing the fact my child is safe.

Courtosy of Gopher Girl

To purchase other books about parenting, please visit our parenting section at Clever Squirrel.

“The Ant Bully” is a wonderful children’s story about a little boy who is picked on, and in return picks on something smaller than him, ants. He learns throughout the story, the feeling of compassion and greater understanding towards others and how picking on the little guy, isn’t so much fun.

The lesson: Read the story or watch the film “The Ant Bully” During the story or after the film ask the children questions about bulling. Before you respond, have the children think of their own answers. The goal is to get them thinking and interactive in the conversation.

What does it feel like to be bullied? Discuss the feeling or hurt and sadness and how it doesn’t feel good.

What are different types of bulling? Discuss the different types such as hitting, kicking and name calling. Also discuss when kids try to get others to join in or be against another person is also a form of bulling.

Why do you think people bully? Do you think maybe they know or have someone in their lives that are a bully? Discuss how the little boy who bullied ants, also had a bully who was mean to him. The reason why he bullied ants is because he was hurting. It was easy to bully things that are smaller than you. Discuss with the children how bullies tend to be mean to others because they are hurting.

You can shrink your bully into an ant, so how else could you handle a bully? Discuss how children can walk away, tell a teacher or ignore the bully. Fighting back or hurting others doesn’t solve the problem. When you ask the question referencing “shrinking” as they did in the book, you will defiantly get a laugh and their attention!

The Craft:

Ladybug walk: Every spring, you can purchase ladybugs at the local garden center. Take the children outside and open the package of ladybugs. Give each child a bug of their own to handle! Remind them to be calm and think like a ladybug. Also remind them and watch their step and watch the bugs walk on their arms and legs or even fly away.

Bug catchers: If ladybugs are not in season, you can also create “bug catchers”. I found mine at the $1 store (great place!) but you can find them in any toy story or pet shop. Plastic fish tanks with lids also work well. You will need plastic bugs, letter stickers, and regular stickers. Decorate the plastic bug catchers. Have the children use the letter stickers to write either their name, or a word that would help them remember the bug catcher is for kindness. We used the word “Happy Bug”. Tell the children, these bug catchers are for catching bugs inside the house. Instead of stepping on them like the ant bully, they could take them outside to their respective homes. (grass, rocks, tree etc)

Optional: You can also incorporate both crafts into one. Open the package of ladybugs and create bug catchers. Give each child a bug to bring home and release in their own back yard!

To purchase other great children’s stories, please visit our early readers children selection at Clever Squirrel 

There came a time recently when I realized how much I missed the experience
of reading to children. Well, I’m proud to say I did something about it! I
have a friend who works with the local Head Start. (In case you don’t know,
Head Start is an over 40 year old organization that helps disadvantaged
pre-school aged children nationwide get a head start on education!)

I asked my friend if she could find a Head Start classroom near my home that
might like someone to come in once a week to read to children. Lo and
behold, they were THRILLED to have a grown-up from outside the school to
come in and do that. Not only do the children get read to, they get the
message that here’s a grown-up who thinks that reading is important! (A
message that many children, unfortunately, do not get at home.)

What do I get out of it? Well, if you’ve ever read to children, you know. I
get their rapt attention, their hugs and shouts of greeting, their cheery
goodbyes and their heartfelt requests that I come back as soon as possible.
(I bring children’s books I own so that the kids get some different books
than the ones in the classroom. Their favorite? “Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive
The Bus!)

I don’t believe Head Start has any organized program for adults to come in
to read, but I made it happen just by asking. (There was a little
bureaucracy to navigate, in the form of being fingerprinted and a doctor
certifying I didn’t have TB, but it was a small price to pay.) No doubt
there’s a school or library or program near you that would love nothing more
than a volunteer reader to come in, bringing with them a few books and a joy
of reading. Why not be that person?

by: Hermit Crab

http://www.best-childrens-books.com/

I thought of this idea when watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show with my daughter. All little girls love dress up. How about dressing up their pets! Since I don’t have the room, nor did I want to manage dogs, cats, and other furry creatures in my home, I thought stuffed animals would be a good alternative.

Set up: The party would contain 4 different areas: a registration desk, a grooming area, a judging table and an agility competition.

Registration Desk: In the front of your home or entry way, set up a table where guests can register their pet. Give each child an armband and a collar with a tag. The simplest way would be to cut out tags with numbers and a rubber band for their stuffed animal, and another paper tag that would be pinned around their arm. Create a simple form where the child would write their name as handler and their pet’s name. You could also have the parents write their email address if you want to send them pictures of the party. If the child is having a birthday party, at the registration desk, you can collect the presents from each child.

Grooming Area: After registration, direct the child to a special room to groom their animal.Set up a table with hair ties, stuffed animal clothes (doll clothes), and other accessories. To keep them busy while guests arrived, I also would set up a special area where the girls can make their own collars out of beads. You can find great inexpensive beads either at bead or craft stores. You can also find little charms to create “tags” or pre-make the tags for each girl. For instance, you could engrave “Lindsey’s best friend” or “Katie’s cutie”. I would recommend another parent be in the room to assist the girls tie and string their creations.

The Judging Table: Once the girls have dressed their animal, the competition begins! Have a well dressed judge (willing parent) call a the corresponding number to each pet. Set up a clothed covered table where the handler (girl) places their stuffed animal in front of the judge. Just like at a real dog show, have the judge examine the stuffed animal and give them a clip board to write their results. After every animal is examined, have all of the girls march in a circle with their pets, displaying their perfectly groomed animal. Take a group picture of the girls to send to parents for thank you cards.

The agility competition: In your backyard, set up an obstacle course. You can use things as you would find in a regular agility competition. Time each girl as they go though the obstacle course, holding their pet. For instance make the girls crawl though a tunnel created by chairs and a sheet, a balance beam out of a 2×4 and bricks, a bar to jump over made out of chairs and a broom and have them use the hula hoop 3 times. Record the time of each pet/handler.

The award ceremony: After you collect all the results, it’s time to hand out the awards! Purchase ribbons or certificates you can hand out to every contestant so no one feels left out. You can create categories such as most creative, most colorful, furriest, 1^st-3^rd in the agility competition and 1^st -3^rd in the showing competition. For best in show, you can purchase a larger rosette ribbon and award the best handler/pet for both competitions.

The food: I decorated the table with more stuffed animals of dogs and cats and served the food in dog bowls or cat snack jars I found at the dollar store. For easy serving, use dog food scoops.

• Puppy Chow Mix – melted peanut butter and chocolate chips drizzled on chex cereal then shaken with powdered sugar
• Cat Treats – goldfish crackers
• Just for the big dogs – coco puffs in a dog food bowl
• Dog snacks – combos
• Pet sandwiches – use cookie cutters of dogs and cats to cut out sandwiches
• Fish drink – use blue punch in a fish bowl and freeze candied fish in ice cube trays
• Bird Seed – mixed nuts, especially sunflower seads
• Hot dogs and buns
• Bone cake – combine a loaf cake with 2 cupcakes at either end. Frost to create a uniformed bone shaped cake.
• FISH AQUARIUMS – floating fish in blue jello.

The presents: An alternate idea instead of gifts is to ask your guests to bring donations for an animal shelter. It would not only help other animals but also reinforce kindness and giving to others. If your willing, you could always take the donted gifts to the shelter and let your child pick his/her own pet!

Party favors: You can stuff doggie bags filled with bone candy and any dog/cat favor you can find.

With a little bit of imagination, a pet show party can be a a fun way for little girls to share their special friends with one another.

For other great party planning ideas, please visit our party book section at Clever Squirrel.