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#SaintPatricksDay 2016: Here are 25 websites for Crafts, Recipes and More

saint patricks' day 2016 header
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!! 
Educators, parents, nannies and craft lovers who want to celebrate the day may be looking for crafts, and other ideas for children. We’re sharing once again 25 blogs with Saint Patrick’s day craft, party decorations, meals, desserts, and activities  ideas for the children to do for the Irish holiday:
 
Crafts
Make these simple crafts with your kids as part of your celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.  This often overlooked holiday can be really entertaining if you make a point to celebrate it just like you would other holidays with special crafts, decorations and food.  These five blog posts will share some craft projects you can enjoy with your kids.
Decorations
Up your house’s festivity factor this St. Patrick’s Day by decorating in plenty of green and gold. Some of these decorating ideas are appropriate for younger children, while others are better suited for the older kids.  Get together as a family and enjoy some creative time together decorating your home.
Meals
All things green are up for grabs on St. Patrick’s Day.  What, you don’t think your kids will be excited about spinach and kale and other green leafy food?  No problem! Just make regular food green instead and see what the kids think of it.  It doesn’t have to be just for dinner, enjoy these five blogs that have breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas.
Desserts
While green is definitely the star color for St. Patrick’s Day, it isn’t all confined to just that color. After all, you can’t forget about the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  Make some rainbow inspired desserts instead of just green ones this year.  For some inspiration check out these five blog posts.
Activities
What kind of things can you do as a family or with the kids for St. Patrick’s Day?  Some cities have St. Patty’s Day parades, so you might see if your city is having one.  Or you might decide to have a party for the kids in the neighborhood.  Take a look at these five blog articles for some ideas on activities that your kids or your family might enjoy.
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10 Spring Garden Safety Tips for Kids

 

It’s lawn and gardening season once again. Every year 600,000 Americans are injured riding lawn mowers while doing yard work. Often times, your children also want to join in and “help” doing yard work. They can but while exercising proper supervision and following some safety tips. 

As an encore, I’m sharing once again 10 top tips for keeping the children safe:

As the temperature rises and the days get longer, the amount of attention that your lawn requires also increases. For parents who are considering outdoor chores for their brood, there are some safety rules that should be taken into account before sending them outside. Here are 10 of the most important guidelines that should be instituted when kids help out with yard work.



1. Teach Proper Tool Use
– It’s easy to assume that older kids have a handle on the use of basic lawn tools, but those without hands-on experience may be a bit confused. This can lead to serious injury if tools are mishandled, so it’s a good idea to outline the basics.

2. Supervision is Key – For younger children, it’s absolutely essential that they be supervised at all times. Work alongside them or even on another task nearby, but never let them work while you’re inside or on the other side of your property.

3. Keep Little Ones Inside During Mowing – Kids are fascinated with riding lawnmowers, so it might be difficult to keep them indoors while an adult cuts the grass. Still, the potential for flying debris and injury from the blades is too great to allow for close observation.

4. More On Mowers – In addition to keeping smaller kids indoors while an adult is mowing the lawn, it’s a good rule of thumb that those under the age of 13 be deemed too young to operate a mower. This rule can be flexible; you know your child’s abilities and level of responsibility best. However, be sure that they are well-informed about safety measures and instructed on proper operation.

 

 

5. Insist On Proper Footwear – Summertime might be flip-flop weather, but kids and adults alike should wear shoes that cover the entire foot and lace securely during lawn work. In addition to the chance of injury due to mishandled equipment, there are also a myriad of other things that can cause injury if stepped on.

6. Keep Kids Away From Chemicals – Though more and more parents are opting for organic or “green” lawn and garden solutions, it’s still important to treat all additives as if they’re potentially harmful and to keep kids entirely clear of traditional, chemical-based solutions.

7.  Store Everything Properly – At the end of a yard work session, kids should be instructed to return everything to its proper storage space. Rakes, hoes and shovels left lying in the lawn can be obscured and cause injury if stepped on.

8. Wear Proper Protective Clothing – Kids should wear protective gear to shield their eyes, close-fitting clothing that is less likely to be caught in any mechanical equipment, and plenty of sunscreen.

9. Stay Hydrated – Summer heat can be downright brutal in some places, so it’s important that kids know to stay well hydrated and to come inside if they feel overheated. These rules can also be applied to outdoor play.

10.No Horseplay Allowed – Kids are, by nature, prone to rough-housing and horseplay. They need to understand, however, that it isn’t allowed during lawn work. There are too many potentially-dangerous situations that arise from this sort of behavior when tools are involved.

Pi Day: 15 Kid-Friendly Recipes to Make Today

 

pie day recipes for kids

Today, Monday March 14 is Pi Day.  The date 3.14 represents the numerical value of pi, which is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter and is approximately equal to 3.14159……  The numbers after the decimal never repeat and go on forever!

March 14 is generally recognized as a day worldwide when we geeks recognize and celebrate the mathematical phenomenon that is the  unique irrational number: Pi!
Pi has been represented by the Greek letter “π” since the mid-18th century,
Pi day is  also a great day to celebrate, make, eat and be all about PIES!
Below, here are 14 Kid-Friendly recipes I curated that kids can easily make.
And if you are on a health kit, below that is a recipe from pie recipe from the kitchen of Viki Sater, founder of Viki’s Granola.
YUM! Enjoy! The Diet Resumes on Tuesday! (smile)

 

Check out Kid-Friendly Pie Recipes

by JJ Ghatt at Mode


Viki’s Granola Mixed Berry Crisp

berry crisp

Topping Ingredients:

• ¾ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup (packed) light brown sugar

• 1 cup Viki’s blueberry almond granola

• 1 stick unsalted butter

Filling Ingredients:

• 4 cups frozen mixed berries (don’t thaw)

• 1/3 cup of sugar

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375oF.

• Lightly butter oven safe ceramic bowl.

• Place topping ingredients into a bowl, working the butter into the granola mixture. Once complete, set aside.

• Place filling ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

• Pour the berry mixture into the buttered ceramic bowl.

• Pour granola mixture evenly on top of the berries.

• Bake for 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling.

• Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Your Ultimate Spring Cleaning Guide: Over 150 Tips & Links for You and the Kids to Get your Home In Shape

child chores

We are clothes to Spring Cleaning time in my house and I have already ascertained a timeline for getting tons of clean up, sorting and re-arranging done. I’m going to pull out my copy of Cherly Mendelson‘s book Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House which I reviewed HERE. I am going to try my hardest to get a bunch of these things from this Spring Cleaning checklist complete and will review once again my De-Clutter and Home Organizations Tips and these 30 Blog Posts to Help Parents Organize the Home Routine  BLOG POSTS TO HELP PARENTS ORGANIZE THE HOME ROUTINE

And of course, I won’t forget to include the kids in this joy. You can too. Check out my past post about  “9 Age-Appropriate Tasks for Little Hands and “10 Things Kids Can Learn from Doing Chores” and “10 Chores Your Pre-Schooler Can Do

Finally, check out Montessori Schools’ famous chores chart for children of all ages for ideas on what you can assign your toddler thru High School -age kid to do.

montesori

 

Which TV Mom are You Most Like? This FlowChart Guide will Tell You

TV mom

Last year, for Back to the Future Day, we asked which television mom would you bring back from the future. It is quite true that the mom characters in television history play pivotal roles in the lives of generations.

Personally, I’d say I resonate best with several of my favorite TV moms:

  • I love Frankie Heck from The Middle because she tries her best to stay on top of things and reflects the frazzled mom in all of us.
  • Florida Evans from Good Times surmounted economic challenges of poverty with dignity and was a glue in her family.
  • Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch gave the best advice and could put everything in perspective.
  • Claire Huxtable from The Cosby Show was sharp as a whip and kept her spouse and children on the straight and narrow while building them up all the while. She is the professional wife and mom who could balance it all like how all of us working moms want to do.
  • Mortician Addams  from The Addams Family was elegant and classy and kept her creepy brood together.
  • Peggy Bundy didn’t like to cook, clean and was the reluctant housewife like I am most days.
  • Black’ishBo Johnson‘s idealistic take on life reflects the optimism I strive to embrace and impart on my children despite all the negatives and wrongs in the world.
  • I am a “smother” , smothering mom, at times just like Beverly Goldberg  from The Goldbergs. My husband calls me her all the time. It’s so hilarious to me.
  • Elyse Keaton from Family Ties was a consummate supportive mom and Harriett Winslow from Family Matters, Rochelle Rock from Everybody Hates Chris and Roseanne Connor from Roseanne kept it all the way real. I try to do the same.

Canada celebrated its Mothers’ Day recently and Mother’s Day in the US is a couple of months and to help celebrate the impending day of celebration, the guys at Sherri’s Berries assembled this great flow chart to help you figure out which TV mom you are most like:

Please include attribution to Berries.com with this graphic.
Which TV Mom Are You?

 

 

#DadGoals: This Poppa won a Half-Marathon Pushing his Baby

neff marathon dad

If your spouse ever compares your parenting skills to another mom, show them this story about a Texas man who won an entire half marathon while pushing his baby in a jogging stroller!

Last month, Calumn Neff took first place in the Katy Half Marathon in Katy, Texas, while pushing his daughter Holland in a running stroller.

He finished the 13.1 mile trek in 1 hour, 11 minutes and 27 seconds as he kept a steady sub-5:30 per mile pace.

And the 11-month old was a great sport all the while.

 

“For almost the entire race, she was waving and clapping and talking and babbling away,” Neff told TODAY. “She was stealing all the hearts along the way, that’s for sure.”

And she was  crowd pleaser.

running dad

“There was so much support on the course,” he added. “Everyone was cheering and a lot of people knew who were and that we were going after the record.”

She only got a bit tired with the routine near the end but was a trooper.

“She fussed a little around mile 11 but I knew I only had 10 minutes left so we just kept pushing through and I wanted to get it done faster for her,” he said, adding that he rubbed her head and gave her a glove to play with.

Neff’s wife, Julie, their 3-year-old daughter, Alessandra, and other relatives were cheering at the finish line. “It was awesome,” Julie Neff added. “There was so much energy. I was shaking, I was so excited.”

Wow!

Thule

About the Stroller: The Thule Urban Glide Stroller in Dark Shadow grey retails for $399 and weighs 22 lbs and can hold a child 6 months thru 75lb capacity. It has a 5-point safety harness, reclines, has a foot-activated parking break and a front pivoting wheel that locks into place. It also has a rear suspension for a smooth and stable ride. The multi-position canopy has a view in roof port. The ergonomic handle bar an accommodate different heights so this dad could use it easily. It folds in with a one-hand flip.

photos: courtesy  Bill Baumeyer

6 Most Common Sleep Training Myths Debunked 

Guest Post
baby

Have you ever stopped to think about what the definition of sleep training really is? Unfortunately, several incorrect sleep training stereotypes exist – from shutting the door on a newborn 8-week-old baby for 12 hours, to eliminating all night time feedings, to surrendering your family values to a sleep trainer who stays overnight at your home for several weeks – we’ve heard it all. With all the different parenting philosophies and advice, it’s easy to get lost in a whirlwind of information. No matter what sleep preferences you believe in for your baby, read on to learn what sleep training really is, and what it doesn’t have to be.

1) Sleeping Through the Night 

“Sleeping through the night” is the single biggest misnomer in the realm of sleep training. In actuality, no human goes to sleep and stays asleep all night. Babies and adults alike usually wake up between 3-6 times each night! When a person (baby or adult) is an independent sleeper, that means they are able to put themselves to sleep from these normal nocturnal arousals. However, a child will only know how to put themselves back to sleep throughout the night if they are able to fall asleep 100% on their own for all naps and at bedtime.

2) Zero Nighttime Feedings 

Sleep training does not necessarily equate to baby sleeping through the night without any nighttime feedings – and sleep training certainly does not mean elimination of night time feedings if baby is hungry. Regardless of the information learned from countless baby sleep books, fellow parents, and strangers at the grocery store, the fact remains that: A child’s parent and pediatrician are most equipped to decide whether or not that child still needs a nighttime feeding(s). Parents know their baby best. If a baby is waking in the middle of the night due to hunger, a feeding should be given. For the overwhelming majority of babies over the age of 4 months, more than 1-2 nighttime are not necessary. If your child is a healthy weight and their pediatrician has okayed fewer or no nighttime feedings, parents can rest assured that most or all of baby’s nighttime wake ups are not directly due to being woken up by hunger. Finally, if a child is truly waking up due to hunger, then he should feed and fall immediately back to sleep, putting himself to sleep throughout the rest of the night with relative ease. If a child is still waking repeatedly at night, it is likely that few or none of the feedings are due to hunger and are instead due to the fact that baby is relying on the feeding to put himself back to sleep.

3) A Stranger Staying The Night At Your Home 

Another common sleep training myth is that hiring a sleep consultant means the consultant stays overnight in your home and gets paid every hour through the night to work their so called magic, and teach your baby to sleep through the night. This definitely does not have to be the case. The vast majority of sleep consultants have one in-person or video conference consultation, usually in the light of day, followed by turning back a personalized plan and being available for follow-up support. A good consultant can gather all the information they need about your family from whichever initial questionnaire they have you fill out, combined with the hour long consultation. Finally, the best consultants are available for heavy follow up support, especially via text and email, so that they can answer questions, spot issues, and tweak the plan if needed.

4) Crying It Out – All Night Long

The biggest elephant in the room when we talk about sleep training is crying it out, or the “CIO” method. No parent wants to hear their baby cry, especially with all the contradicting and often misleading messages regarding the potential harm it may cause for baby. In my extensive experience working with babies, protesting during sleep training is because baby is frustrated they aren’t getting help to fall asleep. In almost every single case of sleep training for infants and toddlers, some form of checking in and comforting baby during the falling asleep process is possible. During sleep training parents need to commit to not physically facilitating their child to fall asleep, but visits and comfort are almost always okay. Remember that when a baby is given the necessary space to learn what it feels like to take control over his body and allow himself to fall asleep, he will eventually (and usually quickly) learn how to fall asleep on his own.

5) Rigid Sleep Habits For A Newborn Baby 

In most cases, it is not advisable to consider sleep training a baby younger than 16 weeks of age. Sleep training a baby aged between 4 to 6 months usually yields the fastest results with the least amount of overall crying, but it really is never too late, nor is there any age above 16 weeks in which it is inappropriate, to sleep train a baby. The reason we avoid sleep training newborns is because newborns are not always cognitively capable of falling asleep without assistance. Even in cases where a very young infant is able to fall asleep unassisted, they are usually not cognitively able to sustain a regular sleep schedule with regular naps. Meaning, even if a 2 month old can fall asleep without help, they are not usually capable of abiding by the wake times or nap lengths necessary in order to successfully sleep train. If you find yourself with a newborn who struggles with this sleep, try the tips mentioned it this earlier blog post.

6) Adhering to Harsh Rules  

A sleep consultant’s main role is to guide parents in how to help their child learn to fall asleep without assistance. If techniques or advice recommended by a sleep consultant make mom or dad feel uncomfortable, the sleep consultant should be prepared to make adjustments according to what works best for the family. In fact, a good sleep consultant should tell you in significant detail exactly what their sleep program is like before they allow you to hire them. Even when I have clients reach out to hire me on the spot, I always call and speak with them first, outlining my methods and going over what they can expect, so that they go into the process with eyes wide open. If a parent is not comfortable with a certain consultant’s style, they should keep searching until they find someone whose techniques they feel comfortable with and with whom they feel they can develop a good rapport.

Final Thoughts 

No matter how you slice it, sleep training comes down to one thing: helping your child learn to fall asleep wholly unassisted. That means going down with their eyes wide open, and falling completely asleep without the help of a parent, caretaker, or other prop such as a swaddle, pacifier or moving car. Sleep training may take a few days of dedication and persistence, but the benefits of having a baby who knows how to fall asleep on his own at bedtime and nap times, and fall back asleep when awoken, is the secret ingredient, and the correct definition of sleep training. With the proper sleep training methods, the phrase “sleep like a baby” takes on a whole new meaning! Zzz’s…

Natalie Willes, Infant and Toddler Sleep Expert, has been working with families all over the world as an infant and toddler sleep consultant since 2008. Natalie has worked with over 700 families to help their babies sleep through the night and nap consistently. By offering custom tailored approaches to each family and child, Natalie draws from her extensive experience to make sure each family feels confident in their sleep-training journey. Natalie works with infants starting as early as 14-weeks-old through toddlers 3 years of age. She is based on the west coast and enjoys the outdoors with her two children Olive and Milo, and her husband Michael. If you have any baby sleep questions for Natalie, she can be contacted through her website www.babysleeptrainer.com 

Photo Credit: Tiffany J Photography at www.tiffanyjphoto.com

You Need Spring Break Activities; Here are 48 Online Kids Coding & Tech Programs

 

kids code

Spring break is coming up and parents all over the world may be looking for places to go, activities to do and things to keep their young children busy and occupied.

If you can squeeze it in, why not dedicate some time during the day or week for your kid to learn to code? There are tons of free or low cost programs online for babies through high schoolers.

Getting kids and young adults to code and get interested in tech is a big initiative these days.  Several dozen programs, clinics, camps, code academies and the like have opened up in real life and online recently with the goal of helping more young people get interested in coding and technology.

Here are 48 of such computer programming and hardware courses that are part of a wonderfully robust and full list of computer learning programs curated by Katie Williams.  These are available online.

Coding for Kids

This is How Parents can Increase their Child’s Self Esteem

confidence

It doesn’t take long for children to develop good or bad feelings about themselves.

A just-published study by researchers at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences concluded that children have strong positive or negative self-esteem by age 5.

Great news for those who feel positive; not so good for those who suffer from a more negative personal view.

But parents know that even well-adjusted children can have moments of doubt about their appearance, their intelligence or their ability to make friends.

“Who hasn’t felt like less than adequate  at some point in our lives,” says Cathy Miller, a former foster mother who now serves as national spokeswoman for the UglySnuglies line of educational stuffed animals that help children discover they don’t have to be perfect to be loved.

“Being a foster parent taught me a true appreciation for how tender young people are and how easily and drastically their emotions can be damaged. I found that sometimes the simplest solutions can help children build strength, self-reliance and confidence.”

Whether it’s the successful feeling that comes from learning to read or the fears that are associated with being bullied at recess, children experience numerous positive and negative events that play a role in making them feel better or worse about themselves.

There are a number of ways adults can help children establish a positive self-esteem, Miller says, such as:

Praise them. Make sure when children do something well that you praise them for their good work. Thiscan help their confidence and encourage them to do more.

Let them help. Even a preschooler can do a few simple chores around the house, such as carrying their dirty clothes to the hamper or picking up their toys.

Allow them to make choices. Does the child need a new pair of shoes? Are there two possibilities fordinner this evening? Letting a child make choices, when appropriate, can make them feel more self-reliant and valued.

Miller grew up in a family with eight children and took on duties helping to care for her four youngest siblings. She says many people who raise children discover that a favorite toy, blanket or other object can help children feel more safe and secure – and ultimately better about themselves.

“I think that’s one of the reasons children are drawn to such toys as teddy bears and UglySnuglies,” she says. “For generations, stuffed animals have played a role in making children feel less lonely and frightened when it’s time to turn off the light at bedtime. They can snuggle up with their ‘friend’ and the world doesn’t seem as scary.”

Confidence is also important in improving self-esteem. That’s where the educational aspects of toys come in, Miller says, whether it’s the traditional Lincoln Logs that help stimulate children’s creativity, chemistry sets that allow them to experiment, or board games that teach them how to use strategy.

Children are like us, she says. As they learn, their confidence builds and their self-esteem rises.

“Because there is research showing our children’s self-esteem is being established even before they start school, shouldn’t we do all we can to make sure their self-esteem is positive?” Miller asks.

“All children deserve to feel good about themselves and to feel confident as they go about their daily lives. This not only allows them to be more productive youth, but arguably impacts the type of adult they will become.”

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