Happy Easter!
Want to have some fun with the kids or yourself to flex on the Gram today? How about decorating some eggs with some funky and fun shapes and colors? Check out these videos which I’ve reviewed and include over 50 FUN ideas!
Even though tomorrow is Easter, families around the nation and Globe who recognize this holiday may not have been in the state of mind to go out to shop for Easter baskets.
No need to worry, if they can scroung up some candy from a hidden stash or run out to the grocery store or order from their local Walmart or Target, they may be able to get enough supplies to fill an unconventional object around the house and use it as a makeshift Easter Basket.
Here are 10 ideas of things you may have already at home that can double as an Easter Basket this year:
(source)
I’ll add my three and update this post tomorrow! Come back to see!
This change in our new normal means that a lot of really cute Easter dresses won’t be purchased and or worn this year either.
A lot of families are mixing it up and salvaging the annual tradition of getting really dressed up for this Christian holiday that culminates the Season of Lent by having at-home photo shoots and sharing the photos online with family and friends.
Given that my children would certainly not sit patiently for a photo shoot at ages 17, 15 and 12, I’ll be using some of the tactics shared by Mark Condon at Shotkit.
He laid out 29 awesome ways to photograph children.
Check out that post HERE. Here are just 5 of my faves of his tips:
I mentioned earlier that getting down at their level can really help when photographing children.
Well it’s now time to break that rule, but we’re still going to be using an angle of view that’s not normal.
Photographing kids from above can give an interesting perspective.
If you have a tilting LCD screen on your camera, you’ll find this much easier – look at the final tip in this series for cameras I recommend that have this feature.
This can be as simple as putting the child on a large arm chair, having them wear adult boots, or stepping right back to shoot them from a distance against a large object such as a wall.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
The photo of a baby’s hand clutching daddy’s finger is a bit overdone in baby photography, but it’s still a good one.
Don’t be afraid to crop out everything else and focus just on a single hand, the eyes, the feet, or whatever you find cute.
Including another object or element to highlight how small the body part is will also help tell the story.
Ask them a question and wait until they start answering it before raising the camera to your eye. Or even take a quick snap of them thinking.
When the child is talking or thinking they’ll be distracted from your camera, which should allow you to get a natural looking photo… or just one of complete boredom/frustration like the one above!
Try and take the majority of photos of your child at their eye level. This may mean bending down, or even laying on the floor.
If you’re photographing more than one child, try and make yourself the same height as the tallest child (unless they’re tall, in which case get them to bend down to match the height of the smaller child).
You can get creative with your compositions to exaggerate the size of your child by getting lower than their eye level and shooting upwards.
In a new YouTube video, I respond to a lot of myths and misunderstanding people have about the Coronavirus CARES Act IRS Stimulus Rebate/Refund Checks,
To react to the dramatic and devastating economic impact the novel coronavirus COVID-19 is having on the United States economy, the government recently created a new law called the CARES Act which, among other things, provides emergency payments, loans and grants to small businesses and individuals.
According to recent reports, the relief checks will be deposited into people’s bank accounts starting today, April 9th.
However, there is a lot of misinformation about the $2T Economic Bill, called the Cornavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, especially about the individual rebates that the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration have been tasked with getting into citizens’ hands.
Common remarks and questions I’ve seen made about the rebate/refund check I’ve seen include:
“Man, the government isnt’ sending us any money! ”
“How can they afford to pay us when we got a $16T deficit?
“I heard it’s an advance on your tax refund for next year!”
“Nothing it Free! Of course, we’re gonna have to pay it back!”
Although the $1200 refund checks are technically an advance on a 2020 tax credit, that money will NOT be deducted from your tax refund next year and in this video I explain why in my recent YouTube explainer video.
But first, I go through some basics of federal US Civics 101 and specifically go over, generally, how the US Gov gets revenue, what it does with that money, and I give a very brief walk through on how tax credits work to help people realize why it will not be deducted from future refunds.
It ends with a discussion about the fact that 17 year olds and young adult and college kids who are still supported by their parents are excluded from funding and what I think we should do to change that.
WATCH:
With the state of our world today, it’s easy to give in to stress and hopelessness—especially with the ongoing pandemic. But as parents, it’s never been clearer that we all have a responsibility to raise the next generation to help make the world a better place.
Of course, it’s never easy to open up a conversation on issues like climate change and the coronavirus, but there are ways to do it without triggering unnecessary tension among your children.
That being said, here are five tips to educate your kids about the environment and how to help out.
Use technology
With most of us in self-quarantine, we can’t take our kids out or enroll them in summer camps as we please. Thankfully, there’s one resource that’s available amidst the threat of the virus: technology. YouTube has a ton of videos that can educate your kids about the environment, such as earth science and biology animations from Crash Course Kids and animal playlists from National Geographic Kids.
For something more interactive, another option is online games. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has developed a series of games that focus on the everyday issues regarding our oceans and air, such as factory leaks, pollution, and much more. Each game addresses a different real-life concern, and comes with solutions that your kids can do to make a difference.
Take them on walks
The best way to get your children to appreciate the environment is by seeing it firsthand. If your city isn’t in total lockdown, then try to go on walks every now and then. The Cut explains that not only is this safe (as long as you and your kids go alone and keep a distance), but it is even encouraged so you can get fresh air and exercise. It’s important to note, however, that this is easier said than done in certain parts of the country where going outside might get you a few glares from strangers just going to the grocery store.
But if you still have access to a park or other forms of nature, don’t let it go to waste. Of course, it helps to make your walks as comfortable and stress-free as possible. So, if you have more than one young child, look to take them out in a comfortable buggy.
The double strollers featured on iCandy are designed to let you push two children simultaneously, and can withstand most terrains—whether it’s grass or cobblestones. This way, you also don’t have to worry about them straying too far from you. For families who don’t have the option to go on nature walks, this option will have to wait—but that doesn’t mean you can’t stretch your legs in your garden and get some much needed vitamin D.
Adopt a pet
Owning pets is always a great way to teach kids a little responsibility. Unfortunately, with the current virus situation, even animal shelters are taking a hit. In a news report from Fox 13, it is reported that many shelters have been scrambling to find homes for their animals. Because until more pets are adopted, shelters are forced to limit the number of strays they can take in.
By adopting or fostering during this time, you’ll be saving lives and showing your child the importance of taking care of animals—all while giving them a new friend to weather this pandemic with.
Unleash their inner creative
Kids love art. In fact, our resident writer Jeneba Ghatt notes how art is one of the few activities that can keep your kids both educated and entertained. Coloring books are a popular option. For instance, if you want to teach them about space, NASA’s entire collection of printable coloring pages can help.
They even have pages dedicated to those involved in creating spaceships, such as scientists and engineers. Other creative things you can do include painting nature scenes or even crafting things using recycled materials. Nevertheless, it’ll definitely be an activity that both you and the kids will have fun with.
Buy local goods
Besides contributing to the local economy (which is especially important in times of crisis), buying local produce can teach your kids how to minimize their carbon footprint. Goods carried from other countries consume more fuel since they have to be delivered to the local markets, so it’s definitely not good practice to buy them all the time. Plus, local goods are always the fresher option.
A fun way to incorporate this lesson is by having them help in the kitchen. Teach them where each ingredient comes from and how they were made.
It’s easy to get swept up by the uncertainty that lies ahead, but remember that you have a part in making sure it’s a good one for everyone on the planet. The coronavirus is just one piece of the bigger environmental problem that awaits if we don’t act now. So let’s teach our kids about the environment and ensure they preserve it in the future. We need to leave it in good hands.
From homeschooling and virtual learning to finding things to do and pass the time, the COVID-19 crisis can be especially difficult for children. What can parents do to make this challenging time easier and more manageable?
Jennifer Lopez is author of the book ‘Chief Executive Mom,’ has homeschooled four of her kids and is the founder of Assistant Pro, a concierge staffing agency that specializes in assisting families with every day, repetitive tasks.
Lopez offers advice to keep things moving as smoothly as possible and help your kids adjust in this crazy COVID-19 world:
– Focus on block scheduling: Rather than saying, “Do it now” or “We’ll get to it later,” create a block of time when a list of tasks must be completed, including schoolwork. In fact, to add consistency and make it easier on your kids, block off the same time each day where various tasks must get done, things like school work, cleaning their rooms or going through old close.
– Your house may get out of control… and that’s OKAY!! Accept that your home will be lived in during the day and things will become messy and chaotic. Demanding perfection will only drive you insane. Remember, this is temporary. If you find that the house is getting way out of order, stop everything and play a game together. If your kids are playing a board game with you, that means they aren’t dismantling the toy chest.
– Be prepared and prep your food: Like clockwork, the kids will be scouring the refrigerator and pantry. Brain work is exhausting and works up an appetite. Include a “snack time” into your block scheduling, but also prepare portioned, healthy, protein rich snacks in advance for easy self-serving, and bellies that will be full, longer. Based on the age of your child, you can include them in the preparation of food. Remember to keep it fun to hold their interest.
– Practice consistent practice: The current status of national education is temporary. When all else fails, have your kids practice what they already know for 20 minutes a day. Avoid regression and keep them sharp. Teachers will be fully prepared to teach new lessons when they are back to regular communication. What would be detrimental is if children regress.
– Join a local/national online homeschool group: If you’ve never homeschooled before, it can be a time full of questions for parents and children. Joining a supportive community is a great resource, especially when you are jumping right in. They are a supportive online bunch and will be a good shoulder to cry on after the difficult days ahead.
– Know when to back off with online learning: Teachers don’t hover over kids and neither should parents. It’s counterproductive to your child’s resilience. That much micro-management will decrease their motivation to continue learning. It’s a lot of pressure to have someone looking over your shoulder at your every move. It’s okay to be supportive, but know when to back off.
– Set expectations and listen to each other: We are used to having some sense of control in the home, but kids are also used to having some sense of control over their daily interactions and how they behave in public. They may push back since they are losing that control. Listen to them when they say they have a process. It will keep your house more peaceful and your relationship in-tact rather than creating a frustrated rebel. We all have to work together in these trying times.
– Don’t forget time for fun: These are tough times for everyone, and we can’t forget about fun. Allow your kids to spend a little time engaging with electronics. Encourage them to Facetime and text with their friends to lift their spirits and keep up social relationships. And of course, have fun as a family playing a game, going for a bike ride or any other activity you can all do together.
Good luck parents!
It is officially Spring and prime home cleaning time.
The nature of recent events, given the corona virus pandemic, has set it up for there to be a lot of basement and closet-cleaning to clear out junk and clutter in the house.
And whether you live in a single-family home, studio, apartment, loft or town home, NOW is an ideal time to start contemplating and planning your Spring Cleaning Checklist.
Every one in the family: the kids, hubby or partner and even the littlest ones, can get involved and help get your home back in tip top shape after a dusty, musty and messy Winter.
Children can pick out which toys they will give away to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
If you or your spouse is handy around the home, itemize broken fixtures that need repair or replacement.
Before you start planning your spring cleaning tasks, it may be a good idea to make sure you understand the art of keeping house too.
When I got engaged back in 1999, a dear law school pal of mine threw me a bridal shower in her quaint Capitol Hill apartment. It was wonderfully organized and I got a chance to check out her very neatly organized home.
Her secret: The Bible of keeping house, “Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House” by Cheryl Mendelson, which she gave me as a gift.
It is a nearly 100-page hardback text and includes a comprehensive guide to every section of the home and is easily understood and great for beginners, like I was back then. Even intermediate or advanced home makers will find this resource text helpful.
I didn’t grow up with a mother who passed on homemaking skills and techniques to her children so I was clueless. The book was right on time.
In it, Mendelson explains materials and properties of common household items which is essential for knowing how to care for them and extend their life. She explains when to replace worn out items.
Home Comforts has sections and sub-chapters like Electricity Safety, The Air in your Castle, Caring for jewelry, Ironing, How to launder tricky Items and more.
Since I am pretty busy and have been since getting hitched years ago, I haven’t had time to comb carefully through the entire book, yet I use it as a reference guide and turn to it often…especially each spring during spring cleaning time!
If you don’t already have a copy and are considering purchasing a new home or just want to start fresh and learn how to manage your own home, I highly recommend it. It’s no longer available new in Hardback but you can get a new paperback version for only $13.99.
It’s available at Amazon.com in Kindle, Paperbook and Pdf now! And it makes a great wedding or bridal shower gift.
Here is my video book review:
Virtual happy hours are becoming a big thing in this era of coronavirus break out. Offices and groups of friends are getting together on Zoom, Skype and other video meeting platforms to shoot the breeze, have a drink and listen to tunes together.
If you are expecting, certainly, you cannot have an alcoholic beverage if you plan to attend one of these things.
However, lucky for you, there re lots of mocktail recipes out there you can whip up so you can participate. Here are 5 recipes excerpted and curated below from past posts and CraftyBartending.
I love the soothing effect of ginger on digestion which is important for pregnant women dealing with indigestion, nausea and other issues so so check out the ginger mocktail below.
Technically not a mocktail because it calls for bitters and bitters contains alcohol, but the overall alcoholic content is so small, that it barely counts. It’s a very easy drink to make so it’s great to have in your repertoire. This is an extremely popular mocktail in Australia, even for kids, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be popular elsewhere – so spread the word!
Serve in a Highball glass
Add sprite to an ice-filled highball glass. Float lime cordial on top. Add 3 dashes of Angostura bitters. Add the garnish.
This is a refreshing, non-boozy take on the Dark ’n’ Stormy cocktail. It replaces the rum with pineapple juice & adds some extra ginger syrup. It’s another great mocktail to add to your repertoire because it uses commonly available ingredients.
Serve in a Collins glass
Shake & strain the first 3 ingredients into an ice-filled collins glass. Top with ginger beer. Add the garnish.
Commonly served to children dining in restaurants in replacement of real cocktails, this is an essential mocktail to know for the restaurant bartender. It’s believed to have originated in the 1930s in Hollywood, the name coming from the former Iconic child star, Shirley Temple. Funnily enough, she dislikes the mocktail describing it as far too sweet. That’s probably why children love it.
Serve in a Highball glass
Build in an ice-filled highball glass. Top with ginger ale & lightly stir. Add the garnish.
Enjoy!
Having to self-isolate at home is not easy. By now, boredom has set in and the natives are getting restless. If you can, mix up the different activities you do with your children to off set mischievous behavior.
Here is an list of 60 things to do excerpted from a past post.
1. Bake cookies for ice cream sandwiches.
2. Make a photo journal or a family yearbook.
3. Have a luau in the backyard.
4. Make a fort out of cardboard boxes.
5. Make ice cream.
6. Write and illustrate your own book.
7. Forget cooking — set up an ice cream sundae buffet for dinner.
8. Clean up trash at a local park.
9. Have a backyard campfire…or just use the grill! Roast hot dogs on sticks, pop popcorn and finish off with s’mores.
10. Stage an A to Z backyard scavenger hunt, where you have to find something that starts with every letter.
11. Make homemade pizza.
12. Go for a walk and then make a collage from nature objects you find along the way.
13. Take bread to a creek and feed the ducks.
14. Have a backyard water balloon fight.
15. Practice your origami skills and make objects to hang from the ceiling.
16. Go biking on a trail
17. Call and Interview an older relative about what life was like when they were young.
18. Plan a picnic in your backyard.
19. Create salad spinner art: Place circles of paper inside a cheap salad spinner, dab tempera paints on top, cover and spin away.
20. Practice making interesting shadow puppets and then put on a show with your characters.
21. Plant a garden of herbs and veggies.
22. Make a sidewalk chalk mural.
23. Have an outdoor painting party using huge canvases or cardboard.
24. Plant a butterfly garden with flowers.
25. Pretend to be pirates for a day — dress up in costumes, plan a treasure hunt and talk like a pirate.
26. Make an indoor sandbox using colored rice: mix 4 cups of rice with 3 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol and a few drops of food coloring and let dry overnight.
27. Turn the backyard into a carnival — set up a face painting area and games like ring toss.
28. Make totem poles out of paper towel rolls and decorate them.
29. Make a giant hopscotch or Twister game on the lawn (with spray paint) or driveway (with chalk).
30. String beads into jewelry.
31. Make a bird house out of Popsicle sticks.
32. Create leis with wildflowers.
33. Go fossil hunting near a lake.
34. Break out your baseball gloves and start a game, sandlot style, with the family.
35. Make paper boats and race them in a kiddie pool using straws to propel them.
36. Play mini-golf — or set up a course in your driveway by laying different size containers on their sides.
37. Make your own colored sand and create sand art.
38. Get a map of the United States and mark off all the exciting places you want to visit — create the ultimate road trip.
39. Set up a net and play badminton and volleyball.
40. Collect rocks in the bakyard or and paint them to use as paperweights or pet rocks.
41. Go roller skating in the driveway.
42. Blend your own smoothie.
43.Let kids paint the sidewalk or patio with plain old water and sponge brushes. When their creation dries, they can begin again
44.Bake cupcakes in ice cream cones and then decorate them.
45. Assemble a family cookbook with all your favorite recipes.
46. Make popsicles in Dixie cups using fruit juices.
47. Stage your own Olympics races, hurdles and relays.
48. Create a backyard circus — kids can pretend to be animals and dress up as clowns.
49. Make Mexican paper flowers using different colored tissue paper.
50. Make crafts with recyclable items like stickers using old photos, magazines and repositionable glue.
51. Make your own hard-to-pop bubbles with 1 cup of distilled water, 2 tablespoons of Dawn dish soap and 1 tablespoon of glycerin.
52. Paint canvas sneakers with fabric paint pens or acrylic paint.
53. Create three dimensional buildings using toothpicks and mini-marshmallows.
54. Make bird feeders by covering pine cones with peanut butter and rolling in birdseed.
55. Paint with ice by freezing ice cube trays with washable tempera paint.
56. Create unusual s’mores by experimenting with ingredients like cookies, bananas, flavored marshmallows and white chocolate.
57. Have a fancy tea party.
58.Have a backyard camp-out.
59. Set up a tent in the backyard to use as a summer playhouse.
60. Take a free kid’s workshop at stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot or Pottery Barn.
The CDC is reconsidering its initial advice regarding the wearing of mask. Previously, under the current directive, the agency recommended that Americans leave the mask wearing to those who have COVID-19 already and medical professionals.
However, since then, it has been well reported that people can have the virus and be asymptomatic, meaning they would have no symptoms associated with the disease. Because it was being recommended that only known patients wear masks, the asymptomatic coronavirus sufferers would be out there spreading the disease without knowing it.
Masks are available online though not readily or quickly available. The paper mask that would not suffice to shield out the virus but is probably good enough to wear while grocery shopping is available for $5.90 $18.88 for 50 on Amazon but it is going out of stock fast.
The professional grade N95 masks are just not available at all. We have a sewing machine in our house but no one in here knows how to sew. Thankfully, YouTube stars have been great about sharing their quick tutorials on how to make a no sew mask!
Here are a few videos:
First, my fave bc it is the simplest:
Make your own face mask at home using fabric you can find in your closet. No skills needed, no sewing machine needed.
Posted by Nifty on Wednesday, March 25, 2020
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