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Grand Prize: $100 Target gift card, backpack, school supplies and Mott’s product.
2nd Prize: Lunch box, tote bag and Mott’s product
3rd Prize: Mott’s coupons
The H1N1 virus caused much hysteria last spring as it swept through schools and communities. Kids were kept home from class, for fear they’d contract the virus from their peers. And scientists set to work on a vaccine.
Now, one has been developed and is available. But should you get it for your kids?
Real Moms Guide has a Q and A about the new vaccine, to help you find answers to some of those tough questions. Check it out, and tell us: Will you be vaccinating for this one?
There was so much anticipation to the start of the school year, that once it started, it seems to be steamrolling by. We’re nearly a month in, and what began as excitement and chaos is now slowing turning into the daily grind.
But of course, just as our children are learning new things everyday, I’m finding that as we move along, I’m picking up new tricks to keep things organized, help keep my son excited about schoolwork and homework (not easy!), and manage to get out of the house on time in the morning.
If you’re finding it hard to stay in the your groove, I came across some great tips that’ll help, courtesy of Dr. Mary Mokris, education specialist for Kumon Math and Reading Centers.
Praise your children daily. Let them know that you believe in them, you think they are special and you have confidence in them. In our home, we celebrate on Friday afternoons if my son behaved all week at school, that is, with a trip to the ice cream parlor or some other fun activity. It gives him an incentive to listen, but also lets him know that working hard makes me proud.
Focus on the positives. Reflect on the new skills they are gaining that are needed to be successful in life, such as independence, responsibility, perseverance and time management. I have to do this a lot. My son inherited my perfectionist tendencies (poor little guy), so he tends to be hard on himself if a picture doesn’t come out just right or if he can’t quite master a new skill. Praise, praise, praise really helps.
Set up a study area for your child. Create an area that is well-ventilated and well-lit. Be sure it’s equipped with all necessary supplies. For me, it’s pencils, crayons, construction paper, and scissors. Older kids will need a dictionary, their computer, etc. Most important, no distractions allowed! That means no TV, phone, or instant messaging during homework.
Establish a consistent homework routine from the start. What works for us so far is coming home, washing up, snack (he’s usually famished), then homework. As soon as my son is finished, then he gets to watch some TV or play. No matter when you fit homework in, the idea is to help children see that it is a priority in your home.
Get acquainted with your child’s teachers and keep the communication open. Teachers are so busy at the beginning of the year getting to know their new students. And often, they don’t meet the parents until weeks later at open school night. This year, I made it a point to ask for a quick meeting with my son’s teacher right away. I wanted to get to know her, and stay on top of my son’s progress. I’m so against the idea that teachers are adversaries — we have to do our best to work with the teacher.
Parents, what are your tips and tricks to stay on track now that back-to-school excitement has worn off? Share in the comments below.
-Dawn Papandrea
As a new Friday edition we want to highlight some of the great things going on around the web. This week we have some amazing giveaways and contests going on all over the place. So check them out and good luck:
SheKnows $500 Visa Gift Card Snapple Real Facts giveaway
From Dates to Diapers Cradle and All giveaway (9/28)
Amanda Giant Evolution Timeline Playmat giveaway (9/29)
3 Kids and Us Sam’s Club $100 Gift Card giveaway (9/30)
5 Vinez Monkeys Family four pack to Disney on Ice Celebrations (Atlanta) (10/2)
Ice Fairy’s Treasure Chest Build-a-Bear giveaway (10/5)
Simply Being Mommy Snack and Play travel tray giveaway (10/7)
Mom Reviews Diego’s Arctic Rescue giveaway (10/7)
Mommy Niri Zhu Zhu Pet, the Electronic Hamster giveaway (10/11)
The Mom Buzz Family Game Night giveaway (10/16)
Mom Start Snugli Sway Soft Carrier giveaway (10/19)
A new study shows that moms are dominating the social media world. That shouldn’t come as a surprise though. Women are finding valuable friendships on Twitter and sharing their experiences in blogs. And for the stay-at-home-mom, having that link to the real world always there can really save them from the potential isolation factor.
It’s no wonder that more and more marketers are trying to reach the momosphere.
According to Real Moms Guide:
A Retail Advertising and Marketing Association study released last Wednesday showed that more than 60 percent of stay-at-home moms are more likely to use Facebook, and nearly 17 percent are more likely to use Twitter, compared to average adults.
Nearly 94 percent of the moms surveyed said they seek advice before buying products or services, and more than 97 percent said they give advice on products or services purchased.
Toni Klym McLellan’s three boys, on an adventure close to home.
Toni Klym McLellan, freelance writer and mom of three boys, loves exploring so much that she started BringTheFamily.net, a site devoted to “family adventures at home and away”. I talked to Toni to find out her best advice for being out and about with kids, whether it’s a trip to an exotic locale or just a hike at the local nature preserve:
Meagan: what gave you the idea to start BringTheFamily.net?
Toni: I wanted to find a way to combine my love of traveling with my kids with ideas for when we were hanging out closer to home, too.
Meagan: What are the biggest differences between being out and about with kids and without kids?
Toni: Well, obviously being out and about without your kids is easier, and you can be more spontaneous. It’s often a lot more quiet, too.
But taking kids along enriches the life of your whole family, not just your kids. It forges bonds that can last a lifetime. Of course, there’s way more planning involved in terms of what stuff to bring, how many hotel rooms, airplane seats, or campsites you need to reserve, how much time to allot for nursing, potty breaks, and nap times, etc.
This isn’t to say you can’t also be spontaneous with your kids, but I think that having the logistical stuff in place ahead of time leaves room for spending more time playing in a public fountain outside of a museum or taking a second ride on the El around Chicago’s Loop (my kids’ favorite part about visiting The Windy City).
Meagan: What advice would you offer parents who are just starting to venture out with children in tow?
Toni: Lower your expectations. Everything from day trips to epic dream vacations will require more planning than you’re probably used to. And there are so many factors that can derail a really “planny” outing, from fevers that come out of nowhere to someone losing a shoe to tantrums. So along with your expectations, hopes and dreams for any excursion, pack a hefty dose of “go with the flow.”
Meagan: Do you have any must-have tricks or tools for making outings with your family easier?
Toni: Hang on to your stroller for as long as humanly possible. You can stow a camera bag, diaper bag, purse, and souvenirs in the bin beneath them, and they’re great for longer outings when even bigger toddlers might still need a nap.
Bring snacks and water. I love chewy granola bars; they pack well and kids love them. Never underestimate the power of a low blood sugar crabfest.
I try to prepare kids for what’s coming up, and head off some of the complaining that comes up by appealing to their competitive nature: how many birds can you spot on the trail?
I also let the kids lead the way sometimes; it empowers them and often leads to hands-on learning experiences you might not have considered.
Meagan: To a lot of people, the word “adventure” conjures up something big: Disney World, Europe, etc. To you, what qualifies as an adventure?
Toni: I think a parent’s enthusiasm can make anything seem like an adventure, though of course doing something outside of the kids’ comfort zones certainly helps.
With a two-year-old, an adventure can be digging a hole in the garden. One of my kids’ favorite mini adventures is walking with me around the block at night with flashlights or headlamps from our camping gear.
Trying anything new can be an adventure, and I really believe that life itself is an adventure. Raising our kids to feel the same way just might encourage them to see new experiences in that light rather than shying away from the unknown or falling apart when the unexpected happens.
Meagan: I think a lot of people are intimidated just leaving the house with little kids to go to the grocery store, let alone going on a day trip or vacation. What would you say to encourage them?
Toni: Put your family and your kids first, because we all have a place in this world. As long as you’re working hard to socialize your young children, don’t sweat the occasional dirty look when your toddler happens to let out a happy squeal when they see something they like. This is huge: let your kids get dirty. Bring extra wet wipes if you have to; that tactile exploration is so vital for them. Know your kids’ energy and highs and lows. Maybe visiting that art museum before their nap isn’t the best call, or perhaps walking to the farmer’s market right after breakfast is the ideal time of day. Most of all: plan to have fun, even if it doesn’t happen in exactly the way you’d planned on.
Read more about family adventures at home and away at Bring The Family.
When my son began preschool last year, I was a wreck over what to send for his “healthy snack.” You’d think that as a food writer, I would just have a cache of tricks up my sleeve — but I don’t. I worried constantly — was the snack I was sending substantial enough? Healthy enough? Would he be able to eat it neatly?
I drove myself a little crazy at first … and then I fell into a pattern: little cups of applesauce with a plastic spoon (I learned quickly that silverware was a mistake — then a spoon didn’t make it home), baggies of popcorn or goldfish, and juiceboxes.
It was boring, but it worked. However this year, I am determined to do better and am already off to a great start. In the past few weeks, I have discovered that Will happens to love hummus and carrots – SCORE! This has openned up a whole new world of potential snacks.
Here are a few ideas I have cooked up for this year:
Kindergarten is here for the Papandrea family — and there’s so much going on this month already! Meetings, pictures, daily homework, school events — I can hardly wait until next summer (did I just say that?). Actually, it’s just that I’m still in summer mode, something that my school mom friends say will never happen again. That’s because, Summer ’09 was our last school break without summer homework assignments. As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, there is a lot more expected of grade schoolers these days, and apparently, that goes for summer vacation homework, too!
My friends with older kids are still recovering from the back-to-school procrastination-induced rush to help their kids finish those summer reading lists, projects, journals, and reports. In fact, they admit, it’s not just the children who put off their summer work — it was them, too! After all, they felt after a tough school year, they needed a break from homework patrol. And who could blame them?
I’m not saying kids should do nothing all summer. But I’m totally for being a little less regimented. The New York Times featured an interesting debate on this topic recently called “The Crush of Summer Homework,”
The pile of books and other vacation assignments appears to grow every year. Is all this homework beneficial or should children be given a break?
The piece goes on to feature opinions straight from top educators. Quite an interesting range of comments to say the least, from they need time to relax, to put them in school year-round. I fall somewhere in the middle.
For starters, I think summer reading is a great time to explore new books, but I don’t necessarily think those books should be assigned. The whole idea is to get children excited about reading, not to force them to read something they are not interested in. As a former English major, I do think certain books should be read by everyone, but exploring literature should be done with some guidance and accompanied by the type of discussion that could only take place during the school year.
I also think it’s unreasonable to expect the same volume of work to be completed over the summer as during the academic year. I don’t like to go on vacation and bring work with me, so why should my kids have to? But some schools assign in such a way that if you don’t work consistently all summer, you’ll fall behind and have to play catch-up in late August.
I can also remember being stressed out to get my book reports done, only to walk into school and have the teacher not even ask about or collect the summer assignments. How annoying is that? I was duped! Perhaps that’s when my anti-summer work sentiments first surfaced… Hmm…
On that note, I think it’s time to say goodbye to summer mode, and focus on helping my son make this kindergarten year a success.That is, as soon as I hear what you think about this topic!
Parents, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Happy September!
-Dawn Papandrea
Hey blogging mamas!
Real Mom’s Guide, a joint venture between SheKnows and Mott’s, is looking for the best blog post. Enter yours today for the chance to win. The prize? A new BlackBerry Pearl Flip. Nice…..
According to RMG:
Enter to win
Real moms – enter to win our Real Moms Guide Best Blog Contest today. Deadline for contest is September 30th. Enter your best blog post – one original post from your own blog - with the subject line “Best Blog Contest.”
Hi! I’m Meagan Francis, a mom-about-town of five: Jacob, 11, Isaac, 9, William, 5, Owen, 3, and baby Clara, who was born in March. I’m author of two books, most recently Table for Eight: Raising a Large Family in a Small-Family World. I also have a few blogs: The Happiest Mom, where I write about finding satisfaction and happiness with my life as a mother; LargerFamilies.com, where a cast of moms of many and I write about raising larger-than-average families; and at my website MeaganFrancis.com, where I write about a mix of issues from my professional life to my kids.
I also write about family life, motherhood, and travel for a variety of magazines and websites including Parents, Parenting, Family.com and Away.com, where I’m a Family Travel Expert. As you might guess, I love being on the go with my family, which can pose some challenges. For instance, how do I prepare for all the possible emergencies that might befall us when I’m out with a potty-training preschooler, a baby and three big kids? How do I choose healthy, whole snacks that are easy to prepare and get out the door? And how on earth do I hold a baby and two sets of hands while crossing the street?
I’ll be blogging about all of it here on the Mott’s More To the Core blog, and I hope you’ll follow our adventures as we seek out adventure in our backyard and beyond.
