Mom it Forward » kids

Book Club: Online Book Chat on Teaching Kids Manners

Jill Greenlaw — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:09:55 +0000

Ever had one of those embarrassing moments when one of your kids belches loudly in a restaurant, or rudely rejects a Christmas gift? Ever sought more effective techniques than constant nagging?

We’re hosting an online book club at Mom It Forward to discuss ways to teach your kids and teens better manners through games and fun activities. It’s called, “365 Manners Kids Should Know: Games, Activities, and Other Fun Ways to Help Children and Teens Learn Etiquette” by Sheryl Eberly and Caroline Eberly.

Book Club Details

What: Join us for an online live chat all about parenting. We’ll be discussing the book 365 Manners Kids Should Know: Games, Activities, and Other Fun Ways to Help Children and Teens Learn Etiquette by Sheryl and Caroline Eberly.
When: Wednesday, February 29 from 2-3 p.m. EST (1 p.m. CT, 12 p.m. MT, & 11 a.m. PT).
Where: Party with us in our very own MomItForward Chat Room. (Click here to go to the MomItForward Chat Room.)

See you then!

Rice Krispy Treats: Fun and Yummy Fall Recipe

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:31:11 +0000

When I was little, my mom would make Kellogg’s Rice Krispy Treats with us as an after-school activity and yummy snack. She spiced up the cooking moment with us by asking us what color we were in the mood for. My brothers and sisters and I would decide together what color we wanted and would shout it out in excitement. My mom then let one of us add drops of food coloring to the mix and another one of us stirred until all the Rice Krispies were colored.

When I reached adulthood, I discovered that adding color to your Rice Krispy Treats wasn’t the norm and that my mom did that to make that experience special for us.

Wanting to give my kids this same thrill, we made Rice Krispy Treats in the shapes of autumn leaves, using a Wilton cookie cutter (the same one we used for this pastry). We divided the Rice Krispies and colored each section a different, bright color and ended up with an array of colorful autumn leaves both beautiful and delicious.

This is a simple and fun activity and one that your kids are sure to remember!

What is your favorite after-school snack to make with your kids? How do you make simple activities like cooking and crafts veer from the norm?

Confidence: Spiderman Backpacks Increase Teen’s Self Esteem

Jill Greenlaw — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:00:40 +0000

Before the first day of school each year, I give my four children the chance to go through a bin of recycled backpacks. My daughter, a ninth grader, informed me that she didn’t need one. She had taken the initiative to buy her own and this backpack proudly displayed Spiderman!

You heard me right. My 14 yearold daughter is gracing the halls of her new charter high school with a Spiderman backpack. Her cousin, who is going with her, chose Phineous & Ferb.

I am amazed at how brave these two kids are. They decided to walk into a new situation confident, self assured, and unafraid of the unknowns.

At registration, instead of hanging back and being afraid, my daughter immediately ran up to people she knew an gave them all hugs. For people she didn’t know, she stuck out her hand and said, “Hi, my name is Jessica!” I was so proud of my daughter in this moment. People gravitate towards happy, positive people. All the times I told her that she was smart, kind, and beautiful had prepared her for this moment.

Since school began, more and more high school kids are sporting new action figure back packs. This is because two kids stood up for what they wanted to do, and didn’t care what other people thought of them.

What are you doing to build your child’s self esteem? How are you trying to raise future leaders?

Better Living: Ways to Raise Extraordinary Children

tammykling — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:00:42 +0000

Every once in a while I meet a child who seems so remarkable that it makes me wonder who their parents are. And every time this has happened, I’ve discovered that the parent is one in a million too.

There’s the seven kids who greeted me at the door of their home one day when I, a first time visitor, had stopped by. First, the 4-year-old shook my hand, smiled, said hello, and then behind him came his brothers and sister. Each one smiled, shook my hand politely, and welcomed me in. Wow. I thought. What planet are they from?

Come to my house, and it’s likely you’ll be greeted with nerf bullets whizzing directly at your head, instead of a handshake.

But we’re growing. I like to take the best from the best examples we see, and eliminate the habits we don’t want to bring into the world. The handshake? It’s one of the things we are working on. Not because I think it’s critical, or because I want to create little robots, but because it’s a valuable and positive way to greet people, and they can use it their whole lives.

Once I got to know the parents of the 7 kids, I discovered how extraordinarily different they are. They make it their focus to instill specific principles in their kids. They develop habits, mission statements, and family fun around creating their legacy. In 17 years, they’ve never once had a television in the house.

Sound weird? Extremist? Maybe. But perhaps it’s time to change things up a bit in your own household.

Being a mom isn’t always easy, glamourous or perfect. But the beauty of leaving a legacy, is that it’s your own. Whether you’re a single mom, a married mom, or the mom of a blended family, you’re the CEO of your own life and you have to do what works for you.

After a decade of coaching, and working with extraordinary leaders, moms, CEOs, and entrepreneurs, I’ve taken away a few important tips that I try (when I can!) to incorporate into my own home.

Tips to Better Yourself and Your Kids

Be Authentic
Do what works for you, and your own family. Your legacy is uniquely yours. Make a list of the things that are important to you. Your friend might have her kids in karate, or baseball coaching, or select soccer after school, but you might find that it’s too hectic to fit into your schedule. Don’t try to be something you’re not.

Eliminate Toxins
Step back and look at what negative people places, or things you could eliminate from your family. Is it a playgroup that just doesn’t feel right anymore? The women’s club, a moms group, or perhaps an activity your kids are involved in? Eliminating what doesn’t feel right is the fastest way to decrease stress! Your household will feel it immediately.

Create a Family Mission Statement
This one is easy and powerful. Gather your family together over dinner, and ask each one to define what they want the family to be. Encourage them with empowering words, like love, joy, and giving back. Create a written vision statement for your family and frame it. Put it in the kitchen, the center of your home, for everyone to see.

Are there things that you can eliminate that would actually add value to your lives?

Tammy Kling is a life coach, advocate for the homeless, and international author of 29 books including The Compass. She’s the mom of two boys, an avid trail and mountain runner, blogger, and adventure travel writer.

Saving Memories: Tips to Preserving the Funny and Meaningful Things Kids Say

Sarah — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:00:48 +0000

All of our kids say cute things at the most unexpected times. Sometimes they are hilarious, “Mom, can you make my sandwich? I can’t STAND the smell of mayonnaise in the morning!” Sometimes they are so sweet it brings a tear to your eye, “Mom, you’re too far away. I can’t touch you. Sit next to me please.” Either way, it’s something you want to remember, whether you want proof of how sweet they really used to be, or so you can laugh together when they’re all grown up.

I started to share my son Matthew’s funny sayings on Facebook. It was these quotes that always received the most “likes” and comments from my friends. And many of the comments had something to do with “you should write this stuff down so you don’t forget it”. So I did! One of the first memories I documented on my computer was a “sweet” one that makes me cry to this day when I re-read it. It happened on September 10, 2009 (I know, because I wrote it down!) when Matthew was 4 years old. I was talking with him about death and he said he hoped we died together. I said that would be nice but that I was probably going to die first. He asked “why?” and I answered that it was because I was older and older people usually died first. Then he looked at me and said, “When you die, can you leave tracks so that I can find you?” OK, cue the tears. My heart melted. It was just too touching to not record. I really wanted to remember that one. And that’s how I got started. I kept typing things into my file as they happened so that I could always remember.

Admittedly I am one of the more anxious people you will meet. I worry about everything all the time. We just had our last child, and these days what I worry about is forgetting all the things that she does every day because I don’t have another one coming that will help me remind me. Will I remember how she sounds when she speaks gibberish to me? Can I possibly remember how it feels when she wraps her legs around me and holds on? That look on her face when she waits for me to say something? Or how it feels when she cries for only me? Video is great but you can’t press “Record” after your 3 year old says, “I can’t eat my waffles because my neck is dry.”

Whatever you decide, I think it’s worth the effort now. With how crazy all our lives are every day, even Supermoms need a little help with the small stuff. These memories seem small now, probably because they are so fleeting and you think there will always be more. But they’ll hold a very big place in our hearts later and you don’t want to miss it!

Tips to Preserving Memories

The following are some ways to preserve memories so that you can look back on them years from now and smile, laugh, and maybe even shed a few tears:

Start a scrapbook.
Create photo albums.
Fill notebooks with your favorite quotes.
Make photo slideshows.
Turn photos into art.
Design decorative shadow boxes.
Visit My Mom Memories and share your favorite quotes.

How do you preserve memories?

Sarah Fielding is a working Mom of 3 kids. She started the website www.MyMomMemories.com with her Dad to help preserve the amazing things her children said. You can create your own FREE account now to archive your precious memories. Share. Save. Never forget.

Home Management and Priorities: When Crayons Come Before Meal Time

Lolli — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:00:22 +0000

My husband walked in from work at 7pm the other night to find dinner still untouched on the stove. The kids and I were deeply engaged in an activity that had completely occupied the previous 4 hours. We were melting crayons.

The kitchen was a mess and there were crayon shavings covering the floor, the counters, and under our finger nails. But no one (save my husband) was worried about the mess or complaining about being hungry.

After dinner, I was marveling at the crayons that we had created, and my husband remarked, “I can think of a lot of other things that would have been a better use of 4 hours.” I immediately shot back with, “But what could have been better than the memories and the bonds we created while making those crayons today?”

He didn’t argue.

While looking at the muffin-tin shaped crayons the next morning (along side the crayon-colored muffin tins that need cleaning) I thought of the analogy about the jar filled with rocks and pebbles.

The concept is relatively simple: Picture a jar. You need to fit a bunch of rocks of different sizes into your jar. It makes sense to place the largest rocks in the jar first, adding the smaller rocks next, and finally filling the tiniest of spaces with sand. Experts recommend taking the same approach to home management. Do the most important tasks first (rocks) and fill in your time with the less-pressing activities (pebbles and sand).

The question remains: “What are the rocks when it comes to home management? What are the most important tasks?”

For those four hours the other day, my children were my rocks—my most important priority. Yes! Even more important of a priority in that moment than meal time.

The time I spent with them was the best use of my time, and I was able to fit making dinner into the breaks. We also managed to unload some dishes and clean the kitchen table so that we didn’t have to eat on crayon shavings.

Priorities might change from day to day. Tomorrow, I might need to make laundry one of my rocks or no one will have clean clothes to wear for the rest of the week. Sometimes, when I have a deadline for a project I’m working on, my work becomes my first priority and house work needs to take a secondary place.

Most mornings, after the kids have left for school and the work day starts for me, I tend to head straight for my computer, where it is very easy to get stuck for the next 6 hours. However, I’ve learned that taking 30 minutes in the morning to clean the kitchen and the family room (and maybe a few extra minutes to take a shower) make the rest of my day feel so much more productive and gets me started with a positive outlook.

What are the rocks that you like to tackle first? Or do you find yourself wanting to fill your time with “sand” too often?

Lolli is a mother of five who believes that kids can do more than they lead us to believe. So she puts her kids to work cleaning and cooking as much as possible, reassuring them the whole while that they will thank her for it someday. When the kids are at school, Lolli spends her time writing on her blog, Better in Bulk, tweeting, and editing pictures from her latest photo shoots.

No Name-Calling Week: How to Teach Kids to Use Words Appropriately

Lori — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:00:35 +0000

Name calling not only affects our children, it affects siblings, parents, and adults too. That is right! Adults are guilty in their relationships as well. It is time to set an example for our children and stop the cycle. Remember when your mother used to say “sticks and stones can break your bones, words will never hurt you.” WRONG! Words can hurt, sometimes even as badly. In honor of proving that out-of-date childhood adage incorrect, the week of January 24th-28th has been set aside as No Name-Calling Week in schools across the country. Check out these great children’s book titles that can help you reinforce this important message at home and maybe even help you as well.

3 Books That Reinforce the Concept of No Name Calling

1. Bullies Never Win by Margery Cuyler

This easy-to-relate-to children’s book tells the tale of Brenda Bailey, a bully who persistently and relentlessly taunts and teases her classmate, Jessica. Cuyler creates an accurate portrayal of how targets like Jessica typically respond to bullying, including experiencing anxiety, losing sleep, quitting sports, changing their style of dress, and fearing asking for help. She also uses Jessica to show young readers that the best way to handle bullies is to stand up to them in assertive ways. Jessica’s bold “Toothpicks may be thin, but bullies never win,” is a triumphant moment of self-defense that can inspire and embolden elementary school-aged readers.

2. My Secret Bully by Trudi Ludwig

My Secret Bully, written for tween readers, lifts the lid off of the hidden culture of relational aggression, otherwise known as girl bullying. It tells the story of Monica and Katie—two girls who have been friends since Kindergarten, but who now are facing a rift in their relationship, as Katie begins to exclude and embarrass her former friend in front of their other classmates. In tackling this painful subject of the ways in which some girls use relationships as weapons, Ludwig provides an accurate and not-often-addressed portrait of a young girl’s anguish at the hands of a frenemy. My Secret Bully is not a light-hearted portrayal of bullying, nor does it offer pat answers. But it does address an important issue in the lives of upper elementary and middle school-aged girls and can serve as a great springboard for discussions with parents.

3. One by Kathryn Otoshi

You know how sometimes a book comes along that you just know you will hold on to long after your child is done with it? Borrowing it from the Library will not do—you have to own it and you are certain it will be a top gift pick for any of your Mom friends. For me, that book is this one! Part of the magic of One is the significance of its message, conveyed in the simplest of terms and illustrations. This multi-award winner is one of the best books I’ve read (and I’ve read a LOT!) on the subject of the power that one child can have to change a bullying situation and to stand up for themselves in a way that garners self-respect and promotes dignity for all.

Additional information, suggested resources, and engaging discussion ideas to use during No Name-Calling Week can be found online at www.nonamecallingweek.org.

Signe Whitson, LSW is a family therapist and an adviser on how to handle passive aggressive behavior in our day to day lives. She has co-authored the book, “The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools and Workplaces“, a self help book for those subjected to this type of behavior. Her partnership with My Baby Clothes has afforded her more exposure to the parenting community. New baby on the way? Check out their selection of tutus and matching baby headbands perfect for every angel.

Giveaway! Win Chuggington Prize Packs!

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:09:59 +0000

[This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered. Winners will be emailed directly.]

Thank goodness education isn’t all about homework. Lots of learning happens through play, exploration, and discovery. And this week’s giveaway will help your kids do just that—learn while having fun!

The Prizes

Five lucky winners will receive a Chuggington prize pack. Prizes include (ARV $250):

The Abso-TOOT-ly Traintastic Pack (grand prize): Fill Wilson Pack from Learning Curve, The Chugger Championship book from Scholastic, a Chuggington DVD screener from Anchor Bay Entertainment and a Chuggington conductor hat
The Clackety Clack Pack: Training Yard Bridge Pack from Learning Curve, a Chuggington DVD screener from Anchor Bay Entertainment and a Chuggington Conductor hat
The Honking Horns Pack: Learning Curve’s Fix and Go Repair Shed and Chugger Rolling Stock Pack, a Chuggington DVD screener from Anchor Bay Entertainment and a Chuggington Conductor hat
2 Trainee Packs: Each will include a Chuggington DVD screener from Anchor Bay Entertainment and a Chuggington Conductor hat.

Entry Requirements

For a chance to enter and win, please complete the following three requirements and leave a separate comment for each on this post, including links to your original tweets.

Follow @Chuggington on Twitter.
Visit http://chuggington.com, check out the Games (http://www.chuggington.com/#/chugger/games) and/or videos (http://www.chuggington.com/#/chugger/videos), come back here, and leave a comment on this site, sharing your favorite game or video or train you most think your child would like.
Tweet the following:

Check out @Chuggington on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/chuggington #gno PLS RT
GIVEAWAY! Enter 4 chance 2 win $250 @Chuggington prize pack. http://bit.ly/9xQP7m #gno PLS RT

Optional Entries

The following extra entry is completely optional and will earn you one extra entry for this giveaway. Leave a separate comment on this post for the completed entry.

Like the Chuggington page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chuggington.

Terms and Conditions

Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Wednesday, September 15, 2010. See all terms and conditions here.

Giveaway! Win a Carson Dellosa Gift Pack With Educational Products for Your Kids

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Thu, 13 May 2010 23:08:57 +0000

With summer vacation right around the corner, Carson Dellosa, an educational solutions provider for both educators and parents, recognizes the importance of bridging the summer learning gap for kids.

To help parents keep their children’s minds alive and kicking this summer, Carson Dellosa is offering a fabulous gift pack for five, count them FIVE, lucky winners.

The greatest part of this giveaway is that it will be completely customized for your children. If you win, a Carson Dellosa representative will contact you to consult with you on the perfect set of materials to help your child(ren). This gift pack may include a set of supplemental books for math, science, social studies, language arts, and early childhood in your choice of age group—prekindergarten through the eighth grade. (Approximate Retail Value: $75)

Entry Requirements

Please do the following three things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:

Visit http://www.carsondellosa.com, check out the supplemental books, classroom decoratives, pocket charts, games and manipulatives, and other educational products, and leave a comment here, sharing which product you would find most helpful in bridging summer learning for your children during their upcoming summer vacay.
XXXX
Follow @CDPub on Twitter.
XXX
Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win #carsondellosa kids educational products 2 bridge summer learning gap ($75 value) http://bit.ly/aQZGpI #gno PLS RT

XXXX

Join #carsondellosa Tues 5/18 (9-11 ET) 4 tips on bridging kids summer learning gap @ #gno Twitter party. http://bit.ly/bAa3Ul PLS RT

Extra Entries

The following four entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed entry.

Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
Follow Mom It Forward on Facebook at http://facebook.com/momitforward.
Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the bottom left on the homepage).

Terms and Conditions

Items in image may differ from giveaway gift pack. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends on at midnight ET Wednesday, May 19, 2010. See all terms and conditions here.

Review: Motorola Droid Cell Phone

Jyl Johnson Pattee — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:47:21 +0000

Cell phone? Seriously? I call it my do-it-all-save-the-day

Smart Device.

The Droid has inserted itself into my daily life right next to my toothbrush and my Mountain Dew. We wonder how we lived without cell phones, right? I’m wondering how I managed without a walking hand-held laptop like the Droid.

I made a list of things (other than cell-phone/email) I’ve recently transformed the Droid into and the list was so long my notepad started complaining.

My Favorite Things About the Droid

Voice Activated Browser: Hands down this is my favorite feature of the Droid. I’ve searched for Easy Oreo Truffles, Gymnastics in my town, Brandon Mull (for the tween reader in my house), and it never fails. Awesome when you are in a hurry or away from a phonebook or laptop. Look at how readable the webpages are.

Pandora: Think about this. You don’t need radio. Satellite radio? Forget it. With Pandora on your phone you have your own radio station, and with a data plan you take it with you anywhere you travel! The sound quality is fairly good even without earphones. How about at the Gym? I love my tunes while treadmilling, but even with a few hundred songs on a playlist I get tired of the same songs. Pandora on my Droid solves jogging boredom! (Note: You wouldn’t fiddle with it while driving, now would you?)

In the Kitchen: Seriously. The whole world of recipes in a little black box. Imagine Foodwhirl.com or Epicurious.com or iVillage.com sitting on your countertop, helping you stir creamy alfredo for dinner, or reminding you to whip the egg whites before you combine solids and liquids for Easter morning waffles. This is the digital recipe book I’ve been dreaming about. (Be careful not to drip chocolate cake batter on your friend… I mean phone!)

Photo to Flickr to Twitter: Sometimes you need to share an image Right That Second. The 5.0 megapixel camera on the Droid spits out amazingly clear images. I never need to miss a shot again. At the park, during a kid concert, after interrupting little wanna be me with lipstick all over her face—CLICK! Picture taken. Set up your Flickr2 Twitter account and you can email, save, and share your image with a few swift taps, beeps, and wooshes!

Backseat Crabby-Pants: Kids driving you crazy on a long drive? Believe me, I know. We live 75 miles from the nearest Costco. We are in need of serious munchkin entertainment on those trips! Droid Got Apps? (and games?) Oh yeah, Droid Does. Hundreds. Amen. (Good luck getting it back from your tween by the way…)

On the Go Shopping and Cost Comparison: Let’s say you are looking for shelves for your tween’s bedroom and you’ve walked into a big box store and found something that might work. But, last night you were browsing around a few websites with similar products. What to do? Pull out your Droid, quickly look up the price of the online shop, and compare with and without shipping. Brilliant.

GPS map program: I’m in the Target parking lot. I need to find the Gymnastics Studio in town. I use the voice activated browser to locate the address, I click the map and Droid asks: would you like to open the Maps App? Well yes I would, thank you. It opens and I click to get directions from WHERE I AM at that moment. Who needs a separate GPS thing-a-ma-bopper?

I’ve also ask Droid to become my Timer/Alarm Clock, Calculator, and Calendar. It was happy to oblige.

Social Media: Of course. The phone is all set up when you first turn it on directing you to log into your gmail account or create one, plus Facebook is ready to activate, and Twitter is easy and free to download the app of your choosing. I don’t use text messages a lot but the set up is easy and clear.

My Least Favorite Things About the Droid

At first the soft keys at the bottom of the phone were diving me nuts. They are so sensitive, when you have turned on the camera if you barely move your thumb over the ‘back’ key, it turns the camera off. I’m getting better about how I hold the phone for different functions and that problem is getting better.

I was ALL about the slide out keyboard of the Droid. However I find I’m using the on screen keyboard way more than the pull out keyboard.

How Much Does It Cost?

The Droid is on sale right now when you renew or start a contract with Verizon. You get 2 for the price of one! $199 for two Motorola Droid phones. One for you and one for your kid (who will take your phone anyway…) I think it’s a fabulous price. $100 for a phone that’s really a walkabout laptop. Yay!

Overall— When my Verizon account expires this month, I am all about purchasing either the Droid or the little sister Eris.

This test drive has been brought to you by Verizon. Carissa was given a Motorola Droid to use and enjoy for 4 weeks.