2008 October | Mommy Points

October 27, 2008

One of Those Parents

Filed under: Children, Keeping It Real — Chris @ 7:48 am

Every year I promise myself that I will get my act together for Halloween well in advance. And then every year I don’t do it. I’m not sure if it is because it is not a “real” holiday. I mean, I am all prepared for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. Sure I might be up until sunrise Christmas Eve wrapping presents, but at least I have bought them. Or is it because I just don’t feel like lugging home a bunch of pumpkins and candy?

Halloween is different though. I never want to buy the pumpkins too far in advance because then they might get ruined. I don’t want to buy the candy too far in advance because then I will eat it all. I don’t get the costumes too far in advance because my children are notorious for changing their minds at the very last minute. Two weeks ago we were in target and there were hardly any costumes. I thought it meant that they hadn’t come in yet. Turns out all the “good” parents had bought the costumes all up.

What next? Are we going to be shopping for Halloween costumes in July? Because right now in the stores all the Christmas stuff is out. Just where the Thanksgiving stuff went I have no idea, perhaps that was in the store Labor Day weekend.

I tell you all of this as a way of explaining why it is that three days before Halloween I find myself with not one Halloween item.

My plans for this week include: forcing children to decide on costumes. Hopefully costumes we already own. Buy pumpkins. Carve pumpkins. Buy candy. Find flashlights. Find batteries for said flashlights. Find trick-or-treat bags. It doesn’t sound like much. I still have a few days, right?

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October 26, 2008

Yes We Carve!

Filed under: Children, Ideas, On The Web — Chris @ 8:09 am

Still need to carve your pumpkins? What about a political pumpkin this year?

Yes We Carve is an entire website devoted to carving Barack O’Lanterns.

We are probably just going to stick with the regular old jack o’lantern faces. Just because we are traditionalists like that.

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October 25, 2008

National Make A Difference Day

Filed under: Children, Ideas, parenting — Chris @ 12:42 am

Oh I know. There are “days” for just about everything. Take your dog to work day. Hug your ferret day. Recycle your underwear day. But when there is a day that calls you to make a difference in the world, how can you ignore it?

October 25th is Make A Difference Day is the largest national day of helping others — a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone and anyone can participate.

What I love about this “day” is that it is something you can do easily with your kids. Go rake your elderly neighbor’s leaves. Bake some cookies to take to a friend. Brainstorm with your kids and see who they decide to help.

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October 23, 2008

Breakfast of Champions

Filed under: Children, Ideas, Keeping It Real — Chris @ 7:38 am

We have all heard our entire lives that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

I find that it is challenging to find the time to get a truly healthy, hot meal into my children so early in the morning, particularly if we need to hurry up and get out of the house in the morning.

Right now our old stand-bys are oatmeal, scrambled eggs, bagels and cream cheese. And of course we default to cold cereal way more than I would like. Everything else seems to take too long to prepare.

So I am asking all of you, what do your kids have for breakfast? Any fabulous ideas I have not yet considered?

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October 22, 2008

Thoughts on Being Thoughtful

Filed under: Children, Chores, On The Web, parenting — Chris @ 7:41 am

“Mom, can you turn the kettle on for me?”

“Can I turn the kettle on for you…. what?” I ask, fishing for a “please.”

Son looks at me confused.

“Can you turn the kettle on for me… <em>now</em>?”

*****

I related this story to a friend because I thought that it was funny. They said that I do too much for my kids. That I am not their slave. I bristled at this observation, and even though I didn’t think that it was true I started thinking about it.

As parents we want our kids to be independent. We want them to be able to do things for themselves. But don’t we also want to model the behavior of being helpful. Sure, my son could have put the kettle on for himself. We were both in the kitchen together. But he was heading upstairs to take a shower and get out of his footballl gear. Why shouldn’t I do him this favor? I feel like I am modeling the behavior that I would like to see in them.

Yes, I do a lot for my kids. But I expect a lot from them also.
*****

One day last week I was running around like a crazed person. I said out loud, “I wish I had a cup of coffee. I could really use one.” But I literally had no time to make it.

The same son I mentioned above said,”I’ll make you some coffee, Mom.” And he did. Complete with pouring it into my travel mug and adding creamer.

I made sure that when he handed it to me I looked him right in the eye and said, “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

For me, that is what it is all about. Teaching my children to think of other people. Making thoughfulness second nature. Treating them as respectfully as I want them to treat me.

As I drove away, drinking the weakest coffee I have ever tasted, I couldn’t help but think that it was also the best coffee I have ever tasted.

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October 19, 2008

Halloween Costumes

Filed under: Children, Ideas, Just For Fun, On The Web — Chris @ 9:05 am

When my oldest son was a baby I swore that I would only ever make Halloween costumes. The whole buying of expensive costumes seemed ridiculous to me. Where was the creativity? Where was the fun? Making something original was the way to go!

Turns out, like so many other parenting ideas I held onto before I had actual kids, I only made costumes for a couple years. Making costumes isn’t easy, especially if you have very little sewing or crafting talent. Buying material for making costumes is also not cheap. And as my kids got older they usually wanted to be things for Hallloween that I could not possibly make… like Darth Vadar.

Here is a resource for ideas if you are intent on making your own Halloween costumes. Ideas for last minute costumes, no-sew, as well as material suggestions, just in case you have a big old cardboard box you want to use but don’t know quite what to do with. And of course Family Fun Magazine is always filled with ideas.

Speaking of costumes. How have your kids liked dressing up their cats and the Halloween themed fun at Handiland?

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October 18, 2008

Scarlet Pumpkin

Filed under: Children, On The Web, parenting — Chris @ 8:49 am

Annapolis, Maryland has taken a new approach for keeping sex offenders away from kids this Halloween. They have mailed out special signs that are required to be placed in their front yards telling children (and parents) that there is no candy at that residence.

In addition to posting the sign, the offenders must stay at home, turn off outside lights and not answer the door, according to the letter obtained by The Washington Times.

I am honestly not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I would want to know. On the other hand, it is like forcing the men to wear a scarlet letter and how are they supposed to integrate back into society. Because isn’t that the ultimate goal otherwise they just have been kept indefinitely in prison. But on the other hand (yes, I can have three I am a mom), I would want to know, but the sign in the front yard seems to be taking it a little far. I have no problem with them prohibiting the offenders from participating in trick-or-treating.

I have used the sex crime registry to find out what offenders live in my area, so it would not be a surprise anyway.

What do you think of this? Is it a good idea? Bad idea? Stupid idea?

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October 15, 2008

Chore Revision

Filed under: Children, Chores — Chris @ 7:32 am

With each new season I find that I have to reassess what sort of chores we are all doing and whether or not the plan we have going is working. Right now we have a considerable amount of yard clean-up to do. Getting the flower beds ready for the winter, raking up all the leaves, doing one last mowing of the lawn. Or at least my kids are hoping that it is only one last mowing of the lawn. We need to put away all of the garden tools so that we can find them next year and get the winter supplies out for the season. A season I am dreading.

I have gotten a little bit of a bad attitude from a couple of my kids. And I am not talking about the oldest ones who probably do more chores around here unasked than the rest of the kids. Nope, it is the younger ones.

This has led me to believe that: 1) They have been getting off too easy if they are going to complain so mightily about raking out a flower bed. 2) If you are old enough to complain, you are old enough to do the job. and 3) You might need even more chores to help adjust that bad attitude.

So we are working on doing chores with a good attitude now. The added perk, for them, being that once the leaves are all raked up they can jump in the pile. The pay off at the end.

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October 14, 2008

Peanut Butter Pine Cone Bird Feeders

Filed under: Children, Ideas, Just For Fun — Chris @ 7:30 am

With the weather turning cooler it is the perfect timeto start thinking aout feeding the birds. My kids love watching them out the windows and trying to identify the various types of birds. And we all have peanut butter hanging around the house, right?

For this you will need:

pinecones
peanut butter
bird seed
wire or string

I used craft wire. Wrap it around the pine cone before you coat it in peanut butter. It will be too messy to do afterward.

Spread the peanut butter on the pine cones. You don’t need a lot of it, just enough to hold the birdseed.

Roll the pine cones in a tray of bird seed.

Then hang them outside on some low bushes or trees and have a bird book handy!

We hung ours outside of our breakfast room window so we can keep an eye on them and see what birds come to visit.

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October 13, 2008

Sports Related Injuries

Filed under: Children — Chris @ 11:17 am

Did any of you read about this high school football player? Ack!

The whole issue of children as athletes is a new one, isn’t it? I don’t remember kids being as serious about sports as they are now. Or maybe it was just because I wasn’t an athlete? I was a ballet dancer which was fraught with it’s own injuries, though none of them life threateningly serious.

My boys play football and I have to say that of all the sports it is the one where all the coaches, players, and parents are the most vigilant about injuries. It is also the sport where the players are wearing the most protection. I have seen the most serious injuries in baseball when kids have been hit by line drives. And right now? We have a friend who has a daughter with a broken foot from ballet… for the second time.

I read last year sometime about the rise of soccer players having knee injuries with young high school aged girls leading the pack in orthoscopic knee surgery.

What do you think? Have you noticed that kids are getting more injured now-a-days? Do you think it is because they are pushing themselves harder?

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