Kids and Teens

Your Child’s Friends…Don’t Like?

It’s a challenge most of us face at least one time — not approving of our child’s friend, or group of friends.

When our children are at a younger age, toddlers to elementary school, we can have great influence on whom they see, and ultimately whom may become their best friends. But as they get older we see them less, and they become more independent. It is part of the maturing process, and picking friends is part of that process. We may still want to jump in, but knowing how and when is key.

My husband has a lot more tolerance than I do, and often reminds me that many issues or childhood habits that bother me are quite minor in the big picture of life. And over the years I think I have become more open minded if a friend of one of our children does something off beat, or has an annoying habit. What we have found works best is the open communication…talk to your child about the friends “issue” that is bothering you. Maybe there is another side or aspect you were unaware of. And maybe your child was unaware themselves.

Of course all of this depends greatly on the issue. If it is something dangerous or illegal you must take a harder stance…for the safety of your child. Many times your child may actually take that message and try to discuss the concerns with their friend. Nobody likes to see a friend take the wrong path. On the lighter issues…clothing, hair, piercings (ok, I admit this one is still edgy for me), speech, etc…try to let them go. It’s still ok if you want to discuss it with your child, but don’t make it accusatory.

A good point that Dr David Walsh (Author of ‘No: Why Kids of All Ages Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It.’) makes is that “forbidding friends can backfire”. Your child may continue to see that friend and delve into the behavior or habit you don’t like themselves. More of his interview can be seen here on WCCO news ‘What To Do If You Don’t Like Your Child’s Friends’

In the end the best thing to do is focus on your own child’s behaviors and habits. Bring them up to be positive role models to their peers and younger children. Hopefully their good habits and behavior will be the one that many of their friends emulate.

Kids and Teens

The Art of the Easter Egg Hunt

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Do you know there are many different ways to conduct an Easter Egg hunt? As a young child growing up, my parents used to add fun new twists to our Easter Egg hunt each year and some of them have become fond memories. Today, we often do the same with our children as well. If you’re looking for a fun twist for your Easter Egg hunt this year, here are a four great versions we have tried in the past.

The Easter Bible Verse Hunt:

This version works best with older children and teens who can read and decipher clues well. The year that we did this, the older teens were paired up with one of the smaller children. Then, each “team” was given an envelope with a Bible verse in it. The verse was a clue to the location of the first treat and the next clue. After 4-5 clues, the last clue took us to the biggest treat: a large Easter basket for each of us.

Putting together the clues may seem like a lot of work at first, but it’s actually fairly simple. A verse about rocks told us to look in the rock garden. A verse about sleeping would mean to look in your bedroom. If your children are a little younger, you could help by highlighting the portions of the verse that are most important to finding the location.

An Easter Treasure Trail:

This version is perfect for very small children/toddlers. When our eldest was 18 months old, we greeted her on Easter morning at her crib with a basket. Leading from her crib was a trail of mini Easter eggs. She took the basket and followed the trail, putting the eggs in her basket as she went. The trail led through the house and ended behind the couch where a bigger treat was waiting.

When laying out your treasure trail, keep your child’s attention span in mind. Some children will follow the trail for quite a while before getting bored, others may need something shorter or more broken up. Perhaps a series of smaller prizes along the path where they can stop and enjoy if they wish?

An Easter Scavenger Hunt:

A scavenger hunt is another fun variation and it can be modified to suit any age. For older children, a written list of items to collect will work. For younger children, a sheet with pictures of the different treats they need to find may be a better choice. A very simple version would have children look for specific colors: 1 red egg, 3 blue eggs, etc.

For those who, like us, add other items besides chocolate eggs, your list might include a chocolate Easter bunny, a skipping rope, a chocolate bar, a crème egg, a small toy, etc. Items are hidden at random throughout the specified area and make sure children understand not to remove items that are not on their own list.

The Easter Challenge:

The Easter challenge is a fun party game version of an Easter egg hunt that older children and adults will love. Instead of hiding candy eggs, you would hide small plastic eggs. Inside each egg would be a task that has to be completed. Sing a song, recite a verse from memory, jump on one foot for 10 seconds, draw a picture, etc. After each task is completed, the child receives another treat for their basket. Make sure to keep a camera on hand to capture all of the fun.

So, as you’re dyeing your Easter eggs and planning your egg hunt, take one of these suggestions – use as is or improve upon it – and make it a wonderful Easter egg hunt.

Kids and Teens

Easter Eggs – A History

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It never fails. Year after year the stores pack their shelves with various items mean to “decorate” an egg. All dressed up for Easter, the plain, white egg you normally have for breakfast or use in your baking becomes a multi-colored, glittery, or tie-dyed work of art.

If you celebrate Easter then you, too, probably purchase dozens of eggs to decorate but do you know why you do it? Is it simply because that’s what your mother did each year because that’s what her mother did? And why does a bunny deliver them?

Though-out history, eggs have been a part of many spring celebrations. Eggs are generally thought of as a symbol of life and Easter is in Spring when new life abounds in the world. The Romans, who believe that “All life comes from an egg” used eggs in their spring festivals and feasts and salted hardboiled eggs were part of Jewish traditions as well.

Pagan beliefs viewed the egg as a sacred symbol and an old fable told of an egg that fell from heaven and hatched the goddess of Fertility, Astarte (Easter) Since then eggs have been found as symbols of new life and fertility in Rome, Northern Europe, China and Japan.

Christians later adopted the use of eggs into their Easter celebrations as the “seed of life” symbolizing Christ’s resurrection. Many different beliefs have been held about the actual use of eggs. It was once believed that eggs laid on Good Friday and cooked on Easter would promote fertility of the trees and crops will protecting against sudden deaths.

Today Easter Eggs have become a central part of Christian Easter celebrations in North America with chocolate Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts and decorating Easter eggs. It is unclear as to the specific reason for decorating eggs, but painted eggs have been part of spring celebrations in many cultures for centuries, each with their own styles and color traditions. Red and version of red have been the most common color in many cultures, symbolizing the blood of Christ.

The most famous Easter egg to date is the first Faberge egg. This small gold egg encased in platinum and enamel was created by Peter Carl Faberge in 1883 as an Easter gift for the Empress Marie of Russia from her husband Tsar Alexander. The egg was gorgeous, and a tradition began with a new egg being designed each Easter. Nicholas II, Alexander’s son, continued this tradition with a total of 57 eggs designed in total.

Today, Easter eggs are generally connected with the Easter Bunny and Easter egg hunts. The Easter bunny came to be part of Easter tradition because rabbits and hares are known for their ability to produce multiple births and that made them a natural choice for the celebration of spring and new life. For many decades, young children have taken part in Easter egg hunts, searching for colorful eggs laid by the Easter bunny in the grass. Easter egg hunts have become a traditional part of American Easter celebrations, with the Whitehouse and many community churches hosting annual Easter egg hunts each year.

Kids and Teens

Interview with Kathy Kinney and Mrs. P

We were so fortunate and grateful to be able to interview Actress Kathy Kinney today who allot of you may know as Mimi Bobeck from the popular TV Hit The Drew Carey Show. Kathy Kinney was on our show today to promote her new site and passion “Mrs. P“.  Mrs. P is a beautiful site that is geared towards bringing the love of literacy and reading back into our children’s lives. At Mrs. P’s website you will find that this site is a fully interactive wonder for your kids, from the Magic Library to the talking fireplace,  or the scary room, or the talking dictionary, there is hours of fun and learning for your children to explore.

As you enter Mrs. P website you are transported to memories of sitting on your Grandma’s lap and reading your favorite books, as you are greeted by Kathy Kinney as Mrs. P. Mrs. P is a cross between the lovable Ms Doubtfire and Mary Poppins all rolled into one with a beautiful red wig and Irish accent.  Sitting in her living room by the warm fire, waiting for you to pick your favorite story from the Magical library for her to read to you, you are amazed by all the magical items you can click on and explore on her site. From the Fireplace with his cool sunglasses and funny sound, to the picture frame showcasing photos Mrs. P and her travels and her life, to the talking dictionary and her dog “Spryri” who loves to play spelling games with you. Mrs. P. brings the love of literacy back by encouraging you to bring the love of reading back into your children’s lives; your kids will literally spend hours just exploring all of the items you can click on and learn from.

Kathy was the most gracious and kind hearted interview we have had in awhile and we were thrilled to have had the opportunity to talk with her and to learn about her new wonderful site. Some of the things we discussed during today’s show are that Kathy and her partners started this site out of their own pocket with the dream that this would help bring the love of reading back to children’s lives. Kathy does not make any income from this site or her countless appearances she makes at libraries and bookstores and schools across the country, she does this because she loves bringing literacy into our children’s lives. This to me is such a gift of her talents and such a wonderful way to give back to her fans.

We were honored to also have as a guest on our show the famous “Mrs. P.” herself with her funny Irish accent and all. Mrs. P shared with us how her favorite books she likes to read are Mother Goose and Brothers Grimm.  Mrs. P. also shared with us the tragic tale of how her husband died an unfortunate death due to poetry, it was quite funny.  Mrs. P kept us in stitches as she shared about her trips reading to children in books stores and all about the magic of her site Mrs. P website.

Kathy shared with us also that although she herself does not have children, one of the reasons she is able to create and identify with Mrs. P is how she can relate to children. Our interview with Kathy was amazing, not only was Kathy so funny and kept leaving us laughing by showing us her personal side, she also touched us by her love of her character Mrs. P.  To often celebrities are known for their bad deeds in the press, and it was so refreshing to have a celebrity to look up to and who is giving back to her fans with such a worthwhile cause as literacy in children.  We want to thank Dana and Kathy for allowing us this time to get to know Kathy and Mrs. P and to be able to share with our listeners and readers this wonderful site for your children and grandchildren.  At Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio we are going to put up the badge to Mrs. P website that will be found in our right hand toolbar from now on to help promote this wonderful website and to give it the credit and traffic it deserves, and we will do our utmost to get the word out about the wonderful site Mrs. P. We encourage you also to grab the Mrs. P badge and add it to you blogs and websites to help promote such a wonderful site. In a day and age where are lives are ruled by technology, and family values are slowly slipping away this site brings families together with the love and learning of reading, so we want to do our part in promoting it.

Please be sure to listen to our full interview with Kathy by clicking here, and be sure to share this with your friends and families also. You can also follow Mrs. P on Twitter just use the following link and stay informed on everything happening at Mrs. P site! twitter.com/MrsPstorytime

For all of your Tweet Fans out there please Tweet about our show with Kathy to all of your friends! And add us to your Twitter accounts you can follow us at FrugalTalkMom !

Frugal Wahms Talk Radio Featured Frugal WAHM Talk Radio Interviews Actress Kathy Ki… March, 2009 @ 1888PressRelease.com

Kids and Teens

On Tomorrows Show we have Celebrity Kathy Kinney

Most of you know Kathy from the Drew Carey show where she played Mimi Bobeck. She will be on our show today to talk about her great new Children’s interactive site called MrsP.com It is a great interactive story telling site that my daughter absolutely loves! Join us today at 11:00 am central time in our chatroom for our great show and be sure to get there early to get your questions in!

To listen to our show and get in our chatroom click here

Kids and Teens

Kids and Books…Read Read Read!!!

We recently went out with some very dear friends, and the discussion turned to their 1st grader. They told us he is doing good in school, and got really happy when they told us he is one of the top readers in his class. They said he didn’t used to be, but recently there was a reading challenge given to his class. As with most classrooms, there is a boy in his class who is somewhat of a nemesis on certain things. During one of the classroom reading minute updates, our friends’ son saw this other boy had a lot more minutes read. That’s all it took…he went home, told his parents about it, and told his parents he was going to get more reading minutes than the other boy. That night he began reading more than ever before!

Not only did he win the reading challenge, he greatly improved his reading skills, and was recently given the only speaking part from his class at a recent school event! I could just feel the pride as his parents told us this story

For anyone who knows us, books have always been a large part of our lives. Our kids have always had books to read. The only downside is we have a hard time getting rid of them…still need to get some book shelves *sigh*

Some of our favorite places to get books:

• Barnes and Noble: we purchase the annual membership, and easily save more than that with the books and items we purchase both in store and online. I really, really love using the online site, especially at Christmas when our DD puts together her book wish list.
• Garage Sales: Another fantastic idea is to look for books at garage sales…summer is coming and there are sure to be many sales with books for all ages! I found many books this way for my kids when they were younger. And it was even more fun when the kids found them themselves…it was like they had found a secret treasure LOL
• Libraries: Many school libraries do a turnover once every 2-3 years and will have a book sale. The prices here are super on these books, and there is normally a large variety to chose from.

Don’t forget that books make wonderful gifts as well. No child is too young to have a book — I even give them for Baby Shower Gifts. Hey, Dr Seuss will never be out of style

Kids and Teens

Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio Wed Show

On Today’s show we shared some Easter Recipes, some great stories from our site including one on Customer Service. We also shared HOT TOPICS in the news. Some of the recipes discussed were Breakfast Pizza, Easter Dinner and Dumplings, Strawberry Dream Salad and more!

Be sure to join our show tomorrow where we will discuss great frugal tips for cleaning your home!

Kids and Teens

You Are Your Child’s Best Advocate

Kids and Teens

Frugal WAHM Talk Radio Feb 20th Show

On today’s show we talked alot about HOT TOPICS that are in the news right now from the famous Octumom Nayda to Rhianna and more! We are also discussed how it is so easy as a WAHM to neglect our health. And unfortuantly start to pack on the pounds especially when we spend alot of time eating and sitting in front of our computer! Today we talked about we could start to make small steps to start taking off those pounds and to start getting healthier!

Kids and Teens

Product Review-Candy Land Castle Game

Candy Land Castle game is a wonderful game for those little ones in your life! As as home daycare provider one of the hardest thing is finding age appropriate toys for my younger children. This is a cute and colorful game for children ages three years and up. This was designed to help your preschooler with matching skills and of course cordination skills.

Contents:

• 3-D Castle Game Toy
• four Gingerbread gameboards
• 18 colored tokens
• Play Instructions

Price: $26.99 at Toys R Us

How to Play the Game:

This is a very simple game for adults but so much fun for the kids! Simply pull the lever on the 3_D Candy Castle and a game piece shoots out of the castle, if the piece you received matches on your gameboard you keep it. If the game piece you received DOES NOT match the you simply have to put it back into the top of the castle. Whoever fills the spots on their gameboards first is the winner!

The entire game is made of heavy duty plastic and heavy weight cardboard, filled with bright colors that will intrique your children. The game is sturdy for years of playing time with your kids, the only fault we could find with the function of the game is that the lever ontop of the castle can be hard and at times tricky to pull down for a three year old. The individual game boards are rather large which is wonderful to help in your child’s coordination of placing the game pieces onto the gameboard itself. The individual game board pieces are in the shape of gingerbread boys and each features diffrent indentions of shapes such as flower, triangle, star, rectangle etc.

Overall this game has become a much loved game in my daycare, my two years old and up are able to play this game and really have fun. To incoporate more learning into this game not only do we encourage the child to match the shape but we encourage them to tell us what color each shape is, which is just another fun way to play this game. Overall this a wonderful game with my only complaint being the lever and the price. Being a large game purchaser myself I felt the price was a little steep for what all was included with this game. But price aside this is a wonderful game for your little ones ages three years and up.

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