We plan for vacations all year.  Whether the trip is long or short, we still need to keep the kids occupied.  Here’s an easy idea for something you can grab from the   house so you don’t have to spend a ton of money on toys to entertain on the trip.  I’m
all about the quick and easy!

My kids loved painter’s tape.  A few rolls and they were entertained for hours in the
car!

Tear strips off to decorate the window.  Give them a shape to make or
pattern.  Let them use their imagination.

Have them decorate their pants.  Seems simple enough, but they can make
stars, stripes, dots.   So fun to see what fashion they come up with.  And if you
make a stop you won’t know anyone, so let them strut their stuff in their
fancy pants!

Bring paper along and have them tell a story with tape only.  You can see
what their creative minds come up with.  They can use it to make animal
shapes and even create letters with the tape.   Have them read their stories to
you on vacation!

Any other ideas?  What would you have your kids do with 2 rolls of painter’s tape and a two hour car ride?

It’s something many kids go through — nearly half, according to a new study. Many of you probably dealt with it when you were younger. Now as parents, the idea of it happening to your child just makes you fearful and sad. It’s becoming the victim of a school bully.

The study, presented recently at the American Public Health Association‘s annual meeting in Philadelphia, is based on survey results from more than 10,000 middle-school students who anonymously answered questions online.

Here’s the frightening part…

Bullies did much of their intimidating in the classroom, lunchroom and school hallways, the researchers found. Those who were bullied in the classroom felt more threatened and unsafe on campus than other students.

You’d think that being under the supervision of teachers and other adults would at the very least keep your child protected in and around the classroom. But contrary to the idea that most bullying takes place in the schoolyard, kids feel just as intimidated in class. That’s why it’s important to teach your child about standing up for him or herself, and speaking up to you to let you know what’s going on in school. We often hear about these situations when they’ve already been going on for too long. Continue reading…

In case you’ve been living under a proverbial rock, the Duggar Family — that God-revering Arkansas family with 18 kids — is now expecting baby #19. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have chosen against family planning and against birth control, instead opting to let nature take its course. Literally.

The newest Duggar sibling is due to be born in March 2010.

Over at Real Mom’s Guide, Stephanie Precourt has this to say:

Oh I am itching to ask her when she thinks she’ll know when she’s done having children. There doesn’t seem to be any pausing between her pregnancies.

And, be sure to check out my article at SheKnows that offers advice for this supersized family on their new family dynamic (their first grandchild is due to be born next month and will be about six months older than her aunt or uncle).