There are always two very important parts of the family. Dad being the head of the home does not make him more important, he just has a different job; however, Mom’s job is the most important for she is the glue that keeps everyone coming back home. No matter where life takes the kids and the Grandkids, if Mom has done her job well, they all come back home.

With so many memories so dear to me around her kitchen or dining room table, it is hard to imagine, but in that same room, we said our last good-byes to her as she was carried away just before the holiday season. Unfortunately, the spindle and glue were gone and we all kind of went our own way. We still see each other, but really only once a year and even then, things are not the same. Everyone has their own way of coping and finds new relationships to fill their days.

A familiar song to me about Grandma says, “Now that Grandma’s gone, we all spend our Christmases at home. All the Aunts and Uncles have Grandkids of their own. Lord let our homes be filled with love and joy like Grandma knew and may she have a Merry Christmas celebrating there with You.”

Now we’re the Moms. We’re the center and the glue of our home. Hold the torch high, fill the home with lots of love, so when the kids go off into the world, even if they roam far, they’ll always come back home.

Alicia Ivey wants to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hopes that everyone gets to spend time with family and friends.  Alicia is a wonderful wife and mother.  She enjoys traveling, singing and freelance writing for mybabyclothes.com.  No matter what the occasion this holiday season make sure your little one looks their very best in the most fashionable baby clothes or the perfect tutu with a matching baby headband.

But with DVD companies suffering major losses (just look at Blockbuster, which filed for Chapter 11 last year), it looks like DVD may be going the way of the dodo. And this means that everyone in the movie industry will soon be making the switch to streaming video (if they haven’t already). Some movies are even being released to cable on-demand programs before theatrical release as a way to gauge interest (which theater-owners are not happy about). But what does this transition mean for the average family?

First of all, it could mean competitive pricing as more and more studios get on board with streaming video and more companies start to offer the service. So initially, it could be good news for the family that is sick of throwing away a couple of Jacksons (or more) just to take the kids to the theater. And it sure is a lot simpler to hit play on a streaming video than to make the trek to the video store just to find that all the copies of the family-friendly movie you’re looking for are out (or to wait for DVDs to be delivered to your door). That’s the upside. But there are also some drawbacks to this imminent switch.

The first is the little matter of hardware. If you purchased a game station like the Xbox 360 or PS3 to double as a DVD (or Blu-ray) player, then you’re in luck, because either of these devices can handle streaming video and deliver it to your television monitor. If you have a laptop or computer, you’ll have to finagle a bit more, but you can also use these devices to enjoy streaming service. For those that don’t have these options, you’re going to have to spend a little money up front to make the switch, either by purchasing a box (some companies have their own) or blowing the dough on a computer or game system that is compatible with your service.

The other problem is evidenced in the recent actions of Netflix. This type of service is valuable and in demand, which means over time, prices will definitely rise. Hulu, for example, which streams many TV shows next day, used to be completely free. Now there is a free version and a paid version of the service. How long before the free version disappears? At the moment, a family could save a lot by dropping cable and getting all their programming from streaming services, but that is bound to change soon.

As DVD duplication becomes a thing of the past, streaming video services will compete for business until only a few big names remain, and then they’ll probably do what the cable companies have done and split up services areas, leaving viewers with high bills and limited options. So while the switch to streaming looks pretty awesome at the moment, don’t be surprised if it starts to resemble the same old story before long.

How often do you and your family watch movies? What is your favorite way to rent movies?

Photo purchased from IStock.

Elizabeth Retton is a freelance writer and part time student  at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.

I’ll admit to being a little uncertain how having my entire family at evo’11 would enhance (or detract from) my overall experience. @TroyPattee and I worried about what to do if the kids got tired and wanted to go back to the room early. We thought long and hard about bringing a babysitter with us for such possible scenarios. But ultimately, what we found was that having our entire family at the conference (sans babysitter even) enhanced our experience in ways we wouldn’t have imagined.

How Our Kids Benefited From Attending the evo Conference

1. They Made Friends. Our kids loved interacting with fellow bloggers’ kids. They have been asking non stop since we’ve returned when they can get together with them again.
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2. They Met Their Favorite Characters. Being able to hug Elmo, shake hands with Ronald McDonald, and get pictures with Bert & Ernie were highlights for my kids!
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3. They Were Included in Contests. Johnson & Johnson and Text 4 Baby had a contest specifically geared to children. Cute Lucy, a fellow evo team member’s daughter, won and her art will be featured in a Utah-based campaign. See her design inspiration here: http://t.co/ipN5SY1.
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4. They Got to Have Quality Family Time. There was plenty of time built in to the conference to spend quality time as a family. We specifically enjoyed perusing the suites during the conference’s Progressive Dessert Party, riding the Alpine Coaster during the Bush’s Beans Party at Park City Mountain Resort, and enjoying the fun outdoor activities during the Together Counts family BBQ.
   

How We Benefited From Bringing Our Family to the evo Conference

1. We Had the Best Roomies. I have always loved rooming with other bloggers at conference. I’ve made some terrific friends that way. But, coming “home” each night to my family, after being able to connect all day and night with fellow bloggers, was the best of both worlds. I loved sharing the highlights of my day with them, hearing the highlights of their day, and just bonding with them.
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2. The Kid in Us Came Out. We found that having kids around as well as kid-oriented events and activities helped bring out the kid in us. (Case in point? See Catherine Connors hula hooping below!) I made crafts with my kids in the McDonald’s suite. Me? Crafts? Who knew? I also loved watching the parents and kids dance together in the XBox suite. But my favorite was watching the kids’ excitement in the Sesame Street and PBS Kids suites as they saw characters they loved either in person, on TV, or on cookies (especially on cookies!).
   
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3. We Had Fun Together as a Family! I love the tradition of jumping in to the pool with all of our clothes on at the evo Conference. And this year, I was joined by my 8YO son who loved “breaking the rules” and jumping in with all his clothes on like the big kids!
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4. It Didn’t Break the Bank. Family vacays can be expensive. evo Conference offered several perks for families to help decrease the cost. 1) The Grand Summit offers a great discount for evo attendees. 2-bedroom suites, which sleep 8, have a full-sized kitchen, and 3 bathrooms only cost only $220 a night with tax. 2) For full-access pass holders, all meals and snacks Thursday through Saturday nights are included in the conference. 3) Families get free access to Friday and Saturday night events, which include dinner. 4) If you or your spouse needs to work during your stay, wi-fi is free in all hotel rooms.

If you are looking for ways to take your social media skills to the next level, network with bloggers and brands you love, as well spend quality time with your family, evo Conference is the place for you! evo’12 super early bird tickets are on sale now.

Pictures courtesy of Justin Hackworth and Trevor Christensen.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Most children wait until school is out to get their wishes, making summer a very busy season for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Party Topic

This Tuesday night, join the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the #gno Twitter party from 9-11 p.m. ET (8-10 p.m. CT, 7-9 p.m. MT, and 6-8 p.m. PT) as we discuss parenting children with special needs while raising awareness for the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Summer of 5000 Wishes program.

Thanks to The Canyons  resort in Park City, UT for donating one night’s stay and two ski lift tickets for this week’s giveaway. Click here to enter for a chance to win!

Party Details

• What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
• When: Tuesday, July 13, 9-11 p.m. EST (8-10 CT, 7-9 MT, & 6-8 PT)
• Where: Party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #makeawish.)
• Topic: Parenting children with special needs
• Who: Brand Panelist: @makeawish Community Panelists: @chaotic_barb @digitalkadi @juliecole @mommyniri @parkermama @redneckmommy Moderators: @jylmomIF @Dadventurous @troypattee and @momitforward
• Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win a one-night stay and two ski lift tickets from The Canyons resort in Park City, UT. (Deadline: Saturday, July 18 at midnight PT)
• RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jylmomIF).

RSVP

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.
Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Prizes

Three lucky winners will each receive this picnic basket filled with everything you need to make a delicious family meal, including:

• Assorted Libby’s Vegetables
• Hannah Keeley’s Total Mom Makeover book
• Picnic Time Metro Basket
• Scanpan CTX Saute Pan
• Scanpan CTX Fry Pan

This entire basket has an approximate retail value of $450.00.

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do two things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).
Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.

1. Sign up to become a member of Libby’s Get Back to the Table community, which promotes family togetherness.
2. Post these messages on Facebook and/or on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:

Join #gno Tues 9/15 from 9-11 ET 2 share tips on family togetherness & mealtimes w/ #Libby’s & @feedingamerica RSVP: http://bit.ly/espTa

GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 a chance 2 win picnic basket w/ #Libby’s veggies, ScanPan pans, & more! (Ret Val $450) http://bit.ly/aooGl

Extra Entries

You can earn up to five extra entries for this week’s giveaways. These extra entries count for both giveaways. You do not need to repeat them twice!

1. Join the Mom It Forward Facebook group.
2. Post the “Mom Is a Verb” button on your blog. (See right-hand sidebar for button with code.)
3. Join the Mom It Forward Facebook page and leave a comment on the wall, answering one of the questions about mealtime and family togetherness.
4. Join the Mom It Forward Google Friend Connect. (See right-hand sidebar.)
5. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Libbys and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, September 20 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older.

1. Write a list of ten questions you’d like to know about a family member or friend and schedule an interview with them to get to know them better. Encourage your children to interview someone they’d like to get to know better as well. If they are younger, help them create the list of questions.
2. Write a note to a family member or friend, telling them how much you appreciate, love, or admire them. Use your talents in drawing, painting, stamping, hand writing, letter writing, or your favorite form of creativity to put your personal stamp on the card.
3. Involve your family in putting together a progressive dinner right within the walls of your own home. Assign each person to be in charge of a specific room and portion of the meal. Work together to make the meal and set up the rooms. Award prizes for most creative, yummiest, most colorful, etc.
4. Welcome your spouse home from work or your children home from school with a picture or note on one of your windows or mirrors using Crayola’s window markers.
5. Encourage your children to welcome their mom or dad (or both!) home from work or other outing by helping them write a love note using Crayola’s sidewalk chalk on the driveway.
6. Have a family art gallery night where each of you prepares a drawing, painting, photograph, Model Magic sculpture, or other artistic project and showcases it for each other. Award participants with certificates or ribbons, indicating most creative, best use of color, best use of black and white, best use of emotions, etc.
7. Encourage your children to get to know their grandparents better by having them record (through audio and/or video) an interview with them about what life was like when they were growing up. Help your children prepare the questions, get the recording equipment ready, and set up an appointment. Then help them put together the audio/video project and share it with the rest of the family, including their grandparents.
8. Have a girls’ night out that’s a blast from the past with activities like finger painting, running through sprinklers, jumping on the trampoline, or other fun things you enjoyed as a child. Make sure to feature your favorite childhood snacks and drinks. Tang anyone?
9. Have a “walk down memory lane” party with your family, your friends, other couples, or others where you all bring photo albums and share your favorite memories. One fun group date is to all bring your wedding photo albums and each take turns sharing favorite memories from your wedding and your newlywed years.
10. Schedule a family coloring night, where you each choose a favorite page from a coloring book or your own coloring books and color together while chatting and enjoying your favorite snacks.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for strengthening your relationships this week using creativity?
• What are things that get in the way of strengthening your relationships using creativity?
• What are ways to overcome these challenges?
• How has strengthening your relationships this week using creativity others made a meaningful difference for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Click here to check out this week’s prize from Crayola.
• Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

• What: Crayola Creativitycast on #gno (Click here to learn more about #gno!)
• When: Tuesday, August 4, 9-11 p.m. EST
• Where: Tweetgrid (Use hashtags #gno & #crayola.)
• Topic: Back-to-School Survival Guide
• Who: @coolcatteacher from Cool Cat Teacher, @crayola, @momadvice from Mom Advice @noflashcards from No Time for Flashcards, @parentingauthor from Susan Heim on Parenting, @petit_elefant from Petit Elefant,  @razzmatazzrob from Crayola, and @skybluestacy from Crayola.
• Party Favors: Click here to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Crayola.
• RSVP: The link list is not working this week, so please leave your Twitter ID in the comments.

Now, with two children of my own, I have realized that my parents taught me one of the most powerful lessons a parent could teach—a knowledge and a love of service. So, now as I “drag” my own children from project to project, I have wondered what, exactly, it was that my parents did that helped me turn my drudgery for service into a passion.

Here are 10 tips I have extrapolated from their parenting that I hope to instill in my children.

1. Serve With Your Children. Serving side by side with your children is one of the most powerful teachers of how to serve all while bringing the family closer. While kids may complain, the bonding time you share sticks in their memories as a positive experience. When they have children of their own and search for ways in which to bond with their children, they will want to repeat the positive experiences they had as a child and the cycle will continue.

• One of my most memorable service projects as a child was a family picnic where my dad did all the service. My dad was the president of our local Rotary Club and they were raising money to wipe out Polio. I was 10 years old and remember the hot Arizona day, watching my dad prepare the dutch oven luncheon for the event and him talking to me at length about Polio, explaining why the Rotary Club was focused on raising money to eradicate it, and the importance of my participation. I felt important! I didn’t do a thing but talk to my dad and eat the picnic lunch, but I felt I had made a huge difference for mankind.

2. Talk to Your Children About Giving and Sharing. When you are not able to serve side by side with your children, share in detail your experiences after the event. Specifically, help them understand the need, how you helped to meet the need, and why your giving and sharing was so important. If you can, take pictures or video and share it with them. Your excitement for your volunteering will be contagious!

Family Service Project at Assisted Living Facility

3. Choose Service Activities Your Children Are Passionate About. Service activities come in many shapes and sizes. Identify what is important to your children and choose activities and causes that fit with their interests. Some suggestions include animals, the environment, children will illnesses, an illness a family member suffers from, etc.

4. Choose a Cause That Taps In to Your Child’s Talents, Skills, & Abilities. Does your child play a musical instrument? Does she like to do arts and crafts? Is he good at weeding or picking up trash? Can she make homemade greeting cards? Can he sing in a group? Nursing homes is just one example of a place that allows kids to visit and share who they are with others. This act of sharing and giving boosts self esteem and helps children learn that their talents, skills, and abilities can be used for good.

5. Tie Everyday Tasks Into Service. Make service an everyday activity and giving a constant thought by reinforcing these concepts in simple things like sharing toys, taking turns, secretly doing a sibling’s chores, giving family members hugs and kisses, etc. You can do this by saying things like: “Johnny, great job at sharing your toys with Billy. That shows that you are a giving person.” To help kids recognize the many ways to serve, create a Giving Chart, where they identify either in written or drawing format things they can do on a daily basis to serve those around them.

Cousins Creating Treasure Boxes (Gratitude Charts)

6. Show Gratitude. Helping kids recognize and show appreciation for things they are grateful for is an important aspect of service. Involve your children in gratitude activities such as keeping a gratitude journal or art book; going on gratitude walks; keeping a Daily Gratitude Chart on the refrigerator where you, as a family, can list your blessings; and having activities such as sitting in a circle and sharing what you are grateful for about the person sitting to your right. Check out Fishful Thinking for their Grateful Sayings activity.

7. Add an Aspect of Giving to Holidays & Events. The Christmas and Hanukkah season is a terrific and natural time to give to others, but you can add a touch of service during many other events as well. For example, many people are now donating their birthday gifts to charity.

• When I was 11 years old, my parents enlisted our help in doing the 12 Days of Christmas for a family whose mom was dying of breast cancer. Together, we picked out all of the gifts, items that would help the family feel joy during the holiday season. We created a strategy for how we would anonymously deliver the gifts. Then, we created a schedule of which family member would take responsibility for various tasks: wrapping the gifts, delivering them, etc. Each day, we huddled together after it got dark to work on our tasks and carry out the project. I will always remember that as one of the best Christmases. Not surprisingly, I don’t recall what I received for my gifts that year.

Kids Bowling to Help Fight Poverty in Africa

8. Serve even when you’re away from home. What a better way to get to know and bond with a destination location than to serve it or its community? If you’ll be away on a long trip, you can arrange a project through an organization. Nearly every major city has a homeless shelter or rescue mission, for example. For shorter stays, simple tasks like picking up garbage at a park and smiling at strangers on the street can make a big difference. Before going on a trip, plan as a family by answering the question: What can we do to give back to the towns and people we’ll be visiting?

• When I was 12 years old, my parents gave me the wonderful opportunity of visiting their friends in Costa Rica for the summer and encouraged me to do a service project before I left. I planned and ran a bake sale with the help of some of my church friends. I raised a whopping $30, which felt like a million bucks! Once I arrived, Silvia, the mom of the family I was staying with, took me all by myself to the grocery store where we purchases items for three families—food that would help them survive for 6 months. The most memorable part of my summer was delivering the food to the three families, crying with them as they humbly accepted it, and gaining a stark realization at the age of 12 of how other people suffer and that I had the power to make a huge difference. I count that as one of the most fortunate experiences I’ve ever had and thank my parents for ensuring it happened.

Decorating Tree at Center for Abused Children

9. Do Unto Others as They Need You to Do Unto Them. What’s valuable to teach your kids about service is that everyone needs to be loved in different ways and that finding out and meeting their needs is most important. While some people need your undivided attention, others need a quick smile or hug. Still others may need a meal brought in (and yes, kids can and should help with that!) or their houses cleaned. When you look at a person and ask yourself and your child: What need does that person have and how can we meet it, you are getting at the heart of selfless service.

10. Emphasize the Role of Money in Charity. Giving includes all sorts of things, many of which do not cost a cent. A child can donate old toys, clothes, or art supplies to organizations that need them. But, since charities also require money to operate, volunteer opportunities and causes that require money offer a wonderful way to teach children about its value. For example, just as you can teach kids to save by reserving a percentage of their allowances for a savings account, you can also have them put aside a specific amount for a giving account. Turn this into a craft activity where they get to decorate three cans or envelopes, labeling them: “Spending,” “Saving,” and “Giving”.

For some great child-oriented service projects, read http://www.parents.com/family-life/work-money-politics/volunteering-philanthropy/10-kid-oriented-causes/.

(Top photo used with permission from Flickr.)

Happy Mother’s Day! You are amazing!