A Few Good Ideas

I wrote these in various places at various times, but thought a collective bunch here would be helpful.

Do you have a little artist at home that is making more art than you can display? Or, do you feel terrible about throwing some of it away, but don't know where to keep it all? Solution: take a picture of their artwork before you toss it. That way, you have a 'record' of it, and they can view it at any time, but won't feel bad when it's recycled! Make a slideshow of them and have a Grand Opening!

Is it raining in your neck of the woods too? That doesn't mean our children can't stay active in both mind and body: build an indoor puppet stage and put on a show! Or, have your children help you make banana muffins - they'll never know you're really teaching them about measurements and weights.

Are you ready for summer? I know the kids are counting down the days! Don't forget to stock up on some summer reading. They're more inclined to pick up a book if it's readily available to them.

Don't throw away the bananas no one quite got to in time: if they are just on the verge of going bad, peel them, cut them into chunks and freeze them in a ziploc bag. When the time comes, put them in your fruit smoothies. They'll stay cold longer, and you will use less ice.

Summer Countdown

Are your children counting down the weeks, days and minutes until school is out and summer can officially begin? I know most of you already have signed up your children for summer camp, or little league, or swim lessons, or.... you get the idea. But what about those of you that don't have the money? Or those of you that think a 'staycation' will be the best thing for your family this year? I know we don't want to get bored during the summer; and we want each day to be exciting and productive.

Check back with me often, as I will try to have fun, inexpensive (or free) things to do with your children that will not only chase away their boredom, but will help them (and you) stay in shape, and keep their brains active.

Here's one of my favorite places to look for inspiration: http://www.ceomom.com/

Summer Fit Learning

Look what I've discovered! This is GREAT!This will focus all my goals and ideals for this summer into one package. I confess, I am partial to the Summer Fit Learning Series. Have a look:

http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=15299105

Mother's Day Weekend

This past weekend was full of fun! On Saturday I took the children with me to our Parkway. It is a long, meandering stretch of sidewalk that follows the Jordan River through town for miles and miles. The children rode their bikes while I ran along side them. They LOVED it (and didn't even realize they were getting exercise!). At one point, I told them to go the long way around, while I took the shorter route (I know, I know, but they're on BIKES for crying out loud! Give a girl a break!); unfortunately, my son - who took the lead - took a wrong turn, and I ended up chasing them down, at full tilt speed for a good quarter of a mile before catching up to them. By the time I did, I wheezed out "You.... were... supposed... to ... turn... back... there....*gasp*!" To which my son replied, a little TOO calmly "But Mom, this mistake was a GOOD one because it meant you got EXTRA exercise in."

As for Mother's Day itself: well, my daughter was SO excited to give me what she'd made in her first grade class, she almost couldn't wait until the official Mother's Day to do it. She had done SO much! A card, a song, and best of all, a homemade book that she illustrated and wrote herself. She couldn't wait to show me that she "made books just like you, Mom!"

My son's teacher (3rd grade) didn't bother to help the children do anything for Mother's Day, but he was not deterred. He got up early and made me a paper flower in a paper vase that stood up all on it's own. It's beautiful because it's homemade and he chose my favorite colors - and he didn't wait for prompting of any kind.

These are the kinds of things I hope my children retain as adults: the sense of appreciation and sharing of positive energy to those that touch their lives; a sense of play and learning from mistakes. In short, I am trying my best to teach them a sense of not only responsibility and education, but a sense of self: of who they are and who they COULD become. The potential is endless. They just need the tools. I hope to share those tools with you, if you like!

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my blog! I hope to share, learn, cry, laugh, and experience life as a parent with anyone who wishes to come and visit. My vision is to hopefully share my experiences so that others may learn from my mistakes, and hopefully offer some of your own for ME to learn from.

Our children are only kids once, and we all want to do the best we can with what we have to work with. The more resources, knowledge, and fun we can have along the way, the better off our children will (hopefully) become.

Please, enjoy!