This article is presented by Auntie Ruth's Animal Care & Wellness Centers
Millions of pets in search of good homes fill shelters across our country. Old ... Read more
Family Rituals and Routines--Good Times Even in Bad Times
by Cathy Paper
Set your family up to create a powerful, close knit, loving family best despite challenging economic times, job loss or the general st... Read more
Plan Now for Summer Fun
by Deb McLeod
Warning, danger. Summer break is right around the corner.
Ok, it's not riiiight around the corner, but it will sneak up and be here befo... Read more
Kids love summer vacation, but parents often find it difficult to keep them engaged in productive activities. And most kids experience a summer learning slump during their time away from school. According to the National Summer Learning Association, at best, students show little or no academic growth over the summer, and at worst they lose one to three months of learning.
It's possible to give kids a fun way to keep up with learning by providing engaging books that feature hands-on activities. Three new books from DK Publishing will help kids of all ages fill their summer with science fun.
"One Million Things: Space" (July 2010). Perfect for backyard sleepovers and camping trips, this book serves up imagery and information about all things cosmic: from planets, moons, and comets, to black holes, nebulae, distant solar systems and more. Young readers won't be able to wait until sunset to start exploring. Elementary-aged kids will:
* Learn about spherical and irregular asteroids by playing a computer game.
* Find out about volcanoes in the solar system by comparing them to firecrackers.
* Explore the universe with stunning photographic galleries.
"I'm a Scientist: Backyard" (July 2010). Part of a new series for younger readers, this book introduces kids to the world of science with a wealth of outdoor experiments. With clear, step-by-step instructions, the book is full of bite-sized experiments that help children absorb science easily. Preschoolers and early elementary students will learn how to:
* Make a sun dial and tell time using the position of the sun.
* Find out a tree's age and then measure its height with just a stick and a piece of string.
* Learn about centrifugal force with a simple bucket of water.
"Big Idea Science Book" (July 2010). A comprehensive guide to key topics in science with a unique difference - an online component with 200 specially created digital assets that provide the opportunity for dynamic, hands-on, interactive learning. Older children can learn from video clips and interactive animations that take them:
* Inside plants.
* Around the human body.
* Deep below the surface of the earth.
Help kids flex their mental muscles during the summer with exciting projects and experiments that make learning fun. For more on these and other summer learning books, visit DK.com.
If you think your family could have their own series, this may be your chance. Documentary style show looking for some of the most dynamic, funny and interesting families in Americas, are you one of them? Give us your story. Please include your name, where you live (city/state), type of business-be descriptive, tell us about the members of your family what a typical day is like and how it came to be that you are working a raising a family on your own.
Do you feel like the hardest working Parent in America?
Are you a mom or dad who works in a family business, has a hectic schedule, and an interesting story to tell? Then we want to hear from you! A new series on a MAJOR Cable Network wants to spend some time walking in the shoes of the hardest working moms in America and it just might be you! This opportunity could lead to a series of your own!
Perhaps you own and operate a family BAKERY with four kids.... or maybe you run a DOG BREEDING business with triplets on the way... or maybe you're a woman working in a male dominated field like construction or or steelworker who's adopted 10 special needs children. The tougher the job and the more interesting family the better.
If you'd like to share your story, please email raptis.michael@gmail.com and tell them a little about yourself. Please include the names and ages of all of the members of your family and contact information, as well as photos of you at work and at home. Please provide contact info and family pics along with your story.
Do you think single moms are glorified and single dads fall into the Mr. Mom caricature? Read what a real single dad has to say about all this in William McCloskey's guest appearance on Lisa Belkin's Motherlode blog at the New York Times.
Join the MomTalk Community and Get a Free Subscription to GRAND Magazine
Until April 15th, all members of the MomTalk Community can get a free subscription to GRAND, the Online Magazine for Grandparents. It's a simple 5-second sign up which you can use to create a subscription for your mom and dad...or even for yourself.
GRAND Magazine provides grandparents of all ages and in all stages of life both information and inspiration. It's a world that celebrates the joys and tackles the challenges of one of life's sweetest experiences - having grandchildren.
GRAND Magazine is delivered digitally right to your monitor. Meet celebrity GRANDparents like Crystal Gayle, Nora Roberts, Robert Reich, Joe Frazier and Arlo Guthrie. Read lots of articles about this wonderful time of life, participate in contests, get advice and share this life-changing experience with others just like you.
If your kids love the book Harriet The Spy, they'll want to tune in to the new Disney Channel television movie, "Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars," starring Jennifer Stone ("Wizards of Waverly Place"), on Friday, March 26 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT). Based on the popular books by Louise Fitzhugh, the movie is a contemporary twist on the iconic character, as Harriet "The Spy" Welsch vies to become the official blogger of her high school class.
The film was written by mother-daughter team, Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke. Internationally acclaimed writer, Heather Conkie, gave her daughter, Alexandra Clarke, Harriet the Spy when she was a child and it represented a huge turning point in her life. She bought a notebook like Harriet and started writing everything down; from that point on she aspired to be a writer. Writing the film has been an incredible bonding experience for them and the adaptation has brought them full-circle.
In addition to the mother-daughter relationship that brought the film to fruition, there is an ongoing theme in the film about the often-difficult relationship between teenagers and their parents.
Speaking of difficult, Harriet's signature tomato sandwich is a source of contention in the film. Harriet eats a tomato sandwich at the exact same time every day (when she gets home from school). Their chef reluctantly prepares the same, ordinary sandwich for her every day but not without a fight. He attempts to create a gourmet, culinary masterpiece instead and she refuses to eat it. For those of you who face similar culinary struggles, here are both the kid-friendly (ala Harriet) recipe and the grown-up version:
Harriet the Spy's Tomato Sandwich: brown/multigrain bread, sliced tomato, and light mayonnaise
Chef's Signature Tomato Sandwich: toasted rye bread topped with a bruschetta mix including heirloom tomatoes, olive tapenade, and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.
My wife and I have 3 boys- a 6 year old and 8 year old twins. We both work full time in the hotel industry and put in long hours and full days. When our twins were 2 and with another baby on the way, we realized that the daily hassles of daycare were just getting to be too much. In addition to the earlier mornings needed to dress and feed the boys before bringing them to the center, too much work was being missed due to one or the other twin being sick and not being able to go to daycare, or being called out of work early due to ear infections, upset tummies, or mild fevers. In addition, the time constraints imposed by centers and home daycare made it difficult to arrange daily work schedules. Putting a 3rd child into daycare was also going to be expensive. There had to be a better and more cost effective way. We needed a trustworthy caregiver that could offer the flexibility our busy family required without costing too much.
We were introduced to the Au Pair program through a co-worker. Although the au pair program has been around for more than 15 years, we were unaware that hosting an au pair is a childcare option available to any US citizen. The U.S. Department of State regulates all au pair programs in the United States, offering parents the peace of mind that their children are in trusted, qualified care. Au pairs live and study in the United States for one year on a J-1 cultural exchange visa, in exchange for providing 45 hours of childcare per week.
Au pairs are between the ages of 18 and 26 years old and speak proficient English. During their stay in the U.S., au pairs provide live-in childcare and help their host families more easily balance their busy lifestyle. A host family can set their au pair's working hours according to their hectic schedule, often having the au pair drive the children to and from school or to appointments, as well as supervise the older children during after-school hours and vacation breaks. And a great help to the family, au pairs also assist with light household responsibilities, such as preparing meals, doing the children's laundry, and helping the children keep their rooms and play areas neat.
The au pair agency we worked with provided us with biographies and other information on potential au pairs from around the world. After narrowing down our choices, we "matched" with Katrin from Germany. Katrin arrived in September 2003 and was with us for two years, using an option to extend her J-1 visa for a second year. During her time with us, she helped get the kids up in the morning, made them breakfast and lunch, took them to the zoo and parks, read to them, taught them German, changed a zillion diapers, put them down for naps, helped wipe runny noses and did their laundry. Katrin created a very caring environment for our children, while also helping my family better balance our daily lives and schedules. Katrin became an important part of our family and the boys came to love her very much. When Katrin left in 2005, another au pair, Isabelle joined our family for a year. Isabelle was also from Germany and she was like an older sister to the boys, playing with them at the park, having picnics in the family room, and helping them take care of their pet hamster. Both Katrin and Isabelle not only provided the flexible and affordable childcare we need, but they also taught my children that there is a larger world out there.
For a family with 3 young children, hosting an international au pair at the cost of $340 a week was the most affordable childcare option available to us. And, more importantly, hosting an au pair was also the most rewarding childcare option for our family.
By the way, Katrin has returned from Germany on a student visa and is now a nursing student at North Hennepin Community College.
Christopher Giaimo is a local childcare coordinator for Cultural Care Au Pair based in Minnesota. Being a host father, he knows firsthand how great the Au Pair program can be for families and would love to help connect host families with au pairs from around the world, allowing families to find flexible and affordable childcare.
Chris welcomes your questions about the au pair program and can be reached at chris.giaimo@lcc.culturalcare.com. For more information, please visit www.culturalcare.com or cgiaimo.aupairnews.com
Introducing your new partner to your children has taken time, effort, and sensitivity. So too does introducing the kids to each other. This introduction and 'getting to know you' stage can be vital in determining future relationships in your blended family. But the most important thing to remember is to relax and have fun. There is little more detrimental to any sort of relationship than stress, anxiety, and tension, but some forward planning can drastically reduce these and go a long way to smoothing the road ahead.
Reassure Your Children
Just as you have been doing throughout the dating process, it is important that you continue to nurture your children and your relationship with them, and reassure them that they will always be your priority. It is a mistake to burden your children with the expectation of perfect sibling relationships at this stage. However, if you present this as an opportunity to make new friends your children will be more likely to see it as a positive experience.
Age Differences
In many ways it can be easier if there is a considerable age difference between your kids and his. This reduces any prospective competition between them over things such as sports, dates, clothes, and toys. However, it is unrealistic to think that friction will not exist simply because yours are teens and his are toddlers. Babies and small children usually adjust to the change much more quickly than teenagers. If someone is attentive and kind to them they will quickly respond. With older children, however, they have built up a much longer history with their parent and can be resistant to change, and wary of being replaced by some other child in your affections. Especially if that someone makes people laugh with her appalling table manners and is treated with humor and tolerant affection when she rolls in the mud in her best clothes! So, regardless of age, each child needs to feel that they are just as special to their parent as they have been and that nothing is going to change that. So say it! And mean it!
Planning Activities
By now both sets of kids should have had ample opportunity and plenty of activities to get to know their prospective step-parent and should have built up an element of trust with them. It is now the adults' turn to decide on a family activity that, hopefully, everyone will enjoy. It is important to keep the potential for disagreements to a minimum so try to avoid activities that have an element of competition. There's nothing to be gained by pitting the kids against each other at this early stage. Believe me, as time goes by they will find plenty of ways to do this without your help! So a trip to a water park, zoo, or theme park might be more appropriate than something like bowling or paint-balling.
Having Fun
The main objective of this initial meeting should be for everyone to have fun. It takes time to get to know other people so don't expect the kids to hit it off straight away. The early stages of their relationships with each other can be crucial and if fun is the most memorable part of the day then they are more likely to look favorably on each other and have a desire to know more.
Don't Push It
Children should be given time to develop relationships with one another before you take your relationship and, let's face it, every other family member's, to the next level. A fun family activity once a week is enough to begin with. Then you can perhaps add a home movie night - your place one week, his place the next. Soon, as relationships develop and everyone begins to feel more at ease, you might have your partner take all the boys, yours and his, to participate in something they all enjoy, and you can do the same with the girls. Or one of you can take the older children and the other the little kids for a more age appropriate event. And, once everyone is feeling comfortable, or at least familiar with one another, you can plan a short vacation together. Traveling, planning activities, eating, working together, and waking up to someone else's make-up free face or bed-head hair can be a very illuminating and equalizing experience
Be Patient
In essence, you are laying the ground work for the rest of your life. You and your partner are at the stage of introducing the children because you have both decided to make a long-term commitment to your relationship. So, what is a month or two in this life-long scheme? It is well-worth investing this time to get to know one another's kids, letting them get to know each other, and finding if you can all live with each other's flaws. A little effort and a lot of patience will help create a much more peaceful and harmonious life when you finally take the big step of marriage or living together.
