Fun Summer Activities for Your Kids
Summer time, summer time.
Summer as a season has its own advantages and people and families are excited about this time of the year. Everybody has a plan to accomplish and if you have a family, you certainly have plans of going somewhere or doing something with your family this summer time.
Traveling in summer time is one of the most popular activities and kids love it. There are numerous locations that you can travel to and visit. Some prefer to take a break from the heat of their environment and travel to cold places and spend summer there and some prefer to travel from their cold environment to warmer places. No matter what place you and your family choose to spend your summer time in, you need to consider taking the right measures for your travel. One great factor that you might want to consider is to travel light. No matter what sort of transportation you are using to reach your destination, traveling light can be a great advantage on your part. You will be able to carry your load everywhere you go. Make sure to choose the right items based on the environment that you and your family traveling to. Consider choosing the right spot so your kid or kids can enjoy a lot of activities such as swimming in the sea and skiing in cold mountains.
Aside from traveling and other sorts of activity to entertain your kids, kid’s summer activities can take place in your own house such as planting a garden. However, in some places, the weather can make it challenging to plant a garden so plant a garden with respect to your environment. Here are some plants you might want to consider growing: potato, tomato, cucumber, peas, carrot, turnip, sunflower, squash and etc. To learn about how to plant these plants in your backyard and what sort of environment is suitable for each plant, you can always conduct your research online.
Other kids’ activities that you might want to consider are watching any sports game or movies since these can be quite entertaining and fun. A car race can really keep them frozen in their chairs. Baseball games can make your kid jump in his chair from excitement and a sci-fi movie can help their imagination grow. For your child, anything can be entertaining as long as you provide enough guidance during the activities. One of the main things that kids love about these activities is the snack that you provide them with. So as long as you provide a tasty snack, you can expect that they will be on their good behavior and enjoy the activity at hand.
Aside from entertainment in summer time, reading a book can be a great activity to be introduced to your kid. So many parents tend to forget the joys of reading when they were young. However, if you just take the time to remember your own childhood, you might recall how somebody would read some stories for you while you would take a look at the pictures in the book and you will feel like you’re in a new different world. To lean more about kids’ activities this summer, you can surf the net for more ideas.
Decorating Your Children’s Bedrooms – Fun Project For the Whole Family
Designing a kid’s room might not be the priority of some parents but if you value the comfort, safety and happiness of your children then you will put a lot of time and planning in creating a good space for them. There are so many factors and items that you need to consider if you want to design your child’s room. Often, this task can be quite confusing. In this article, we point out at some fundamental factors and items that you need for designing your kid’s room.
Materials used in the room
We are all affected by the environmental crisis nowadays and this matter has caused so much conflict all over the world. Whether you’re a devoted environmentalist or you just wish to try a greener lifestyle, consider using efficient materials when designing your kids’ room. For instance, look for energy-efficient features when shopping for lamps to be used in the room.
Materials used on flooring, ceiling and window glasses can have a lot of effect in conditioning the room temperature. You will be able to adjust the temperature of the whole house or room by simply replacing the old materials with new and efficient materials. To learn more about these materials, you can always conduct your research online or talk to your local contractors
Another important factor that you need to keep in mind when putting together your kid’s room is the durability of the furniture. For example, you don’t want to purchase a bed only to see it worn down after a year’s use. You want furniture that will last even as your children grow older. If the room you are designing is for more than one child, then durability of the furniture becomes even more important.
Decoration of the room
From lava lamps to stuffed animals, accessories are part of the decoration in your kids’ room. The best way to find out how to decorate the bedroom is by asking your child what sort of accessories and decoration he wants in his room. If you recall your own childhood, you will remember that kids love to be involved in decisions-making, so enlisting their help will certainly make them feel confident and valued.
Design, Colors and Theme
To make decorating the room easier, it’s usually best to start with a theme so you can start decorating and buying items based on this motif. The theme of the room should be something that your child is interested in. For instance, if you have a little boy, popular room themes would include sports, space, cowboys, robots and such. Themes like fairies, princesses and Barbie are popular among girls. If you prefer a gender-neutral theme, you can go for animal safari or a nature theme. Although you probably want to go all out with your chosen theme, be sure that you decorate the room in such a way that your kids can change the design of the room once they get too old to be sleeping with their favorite cartoon characters. As for colors, it’s generally recommended to go for brighter hues since they can make the room brighter and more inviting.
Going on Vacation with Your Kids
If you are preparing to have a vacation with your family then there will be matters that you will need to consider–where to go, what items to pack, how to reach your destination (airplane or car?). Many parents worry about traveling with their kids because they fear that it will be full of hassle. The truth is, with enough preparation, your vacation with your kids can actually go smoothly. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are planning to go on a holiday with your kids.
Where to go
Naturally, the first thing you need to do would be to choose a destination where you and your family can go. “Fun for the whole family” is the phrase that you need to keep in mind when deciding where to go. You might also want to establish what you want your trip to be. Do you want the vacation to be fun and relaxing, educational, adventurous or all of the above? Based on this decision, you can easily narrow down your choices. For instance, if you want your kids to have fun, then go to popular family places such as Disney Land or any other amusement park. For an educational trip, visit historical sites and museums. For an adventure, have your kids try out camping or any new sports. When planning your itinerary for the day, make sure you make the activities short and varied. Since kids have a short attention span, it will be better to avoid activities that last the whole day long.
What to Pack
Packing for kids is another preparation that can be tricky if you don’t know how to do it right. If you are traveling with a baby, the first things you need to pack would be all the baby essentials—such as diapers, bottles, etc. The same goes for small toddlers. If your little one is used to drinking on his sippy cup and has a security blanket then you need to pack all these for the trip. Packing for older kids is easier and you can even enlist their help to give them a sense of responsibility. Keep your destination in mind when deciding what children’s clothes to bring. For instance, if you are going to tropical Hawaii, then your kid won’t need his snow boots.
How to get there
Lots of preparation is done before an airplane can take off—such as double-checking the engine, cleaning the cabin, etc. You should carry out the same meticulous process if you are traveling with a car. Always update and upgrade the items in your tool box and make sure they are compatible to your car. Have your car checked out by elite team of mechanics since you do not want to run into a conflict on your way. Prepare food supply enough for the passengers (your family) as well as enough activities for the kids. Children can get pretty impatient on the road (or on the sky if you are going by plane) so it’s important to have something that will entertain them during the travel hours.
Working Moms, Are Your Children Eating Healthy?
Parenting is one of the greatest tasks that you will have to face in your lifetime. The task of being a mother is so demanding and consuming that for most women, it becomes their main career. However, if you are one of the many women who are trying to balance your job with being a mom then these new findings may interest you. A British study showed that a working mom can actually create an unhealthy environment for her children. According to the case studies, children who have full-time moms who stay at home are healthier than those whose mothers are working. This health discrepancy between children became most evident in the aspect of nutrition.
The fact is kids love to eat without giving any thought to nutrition. You’re not likely to see an eight-year-old choosing spinach over ice cream any day soon. When the mom is not around to provide food guidance then the child will simply devour anything he pleases—soft drinks loaded with sugar, bags of potato chips, candy bars, etc. Needless to say, unhealthy diet or food in the early ages can threaten the health of the child in future. And it’s not just the diet of the child that suffers. Lack of exercise is also rampant among kids who have working moms. They tend to use the computer and watch TV for longer periods of time. Unsurprisingly, they also spend less time walking to school.
It’s also not a surprise that working mothers have less time to spend with their children. Most of their days are dedicated to their jobs and we all know how tiresome working everyday can be. If you’re a working mom then you probably get home every day wanting nothing better than to take a few hours to rest. And the time you take to rest further subtracts from the time you spend with your child.
According to studies, almost more than half of the female population in the United States and United Kingdom join the work force shortly after giving birth. This study about working moms and kids’ nutrition is probably igniting an understandable outcry from working mothers everywhere. After all, with the current economic crisis, unemployment for men has grown more than it has for women. Because of this, many moms have no option left but to look and apply for a job in order to ensure the financial stability of their families. Unfortunately, there are many cases when the health of the family is overlooked.
So what can working moms do in order to maintain their job while maintaining the health of their kids? Organizing your time would be a great idea. No matter how tired you are when you get home, set aside an hour every day to spend time with your kids and be sure to teach them the importance of a healthy diet. If you don’t have time to prepare dinner, order take-out from a restaurant that serves healthy food. Enjoying outdoor exercises like a walk in the park or biking are also great ways to spend some quality time with your kids while ensuring exercise for everyone. If you have money to spare then hiring a maid would also be a great option. Be sure to train the maid to follow a healthy diet program when cooking for your kids. If you have other ideas how busy mommies can squeeze in healthy eating for their kids then be sure to share your thoughts!
Bad Parenting: Root of Society’s Loss of Civility?
Civility, by definition, means perfunctory or formal politeness. Unfortunately, this politeness is something that we are seeing less and less of everyday. From Rep. Joe Wilson’s rude retort during Obama’s speech to Kanye West’s stunt to upstage Taylor Swift at an awards’ show, it seems that American culture is indeed losing civility. The origin of this problem must be uncovered or else the future generations of our nation are in grave danger. Just imagine a chaotic world that has no definition of respect. Ultimately, violence will conquer every nation and basic human values such as respect will be unheard of.
One of the real reasons behind America’s lack of civility is failed parenting. For so many parents, this fact can seem unacceptable or preposterous. However, the truth is that parents are responsible for the growth of every future generation. A recent incident that occurred in a school bus is a perfect example of how children today are rapidly losing their civility. A teenager was unexpectedly beaten up over a place to sit on the bus. What’s shocking about the video is not just the unprovoked violence, but the apathy of most of the other passengers who just sat and watched. Some even encouraged the fight.
In cases such as these, one cannot help but think that parenting and the home life of a child are the factors to blame. Everyone knows that the smallest organization in society is the family. Families are the foundation of every nation. Almost every single member of society has his roots in some kind of family. Every politician, scientist, teacher, student, doctor, nurse, business man and news reporter that make up a society all hail from their own families. We need to understand how important parents are and how each individual’s attitude in life is molded at home.
If you are a parent then you obviously have your work cut out for you. Do not hesitate to act now because there is no better time than the present to instill good and humane values into your children. Not to do this basic parenting task would be a crime toward your family and toward society in general.
“Family first” is a phrase that you’ve probably heard and read a million times before. We’ve done the talk, now are we ready to do the walk? Are we ready to make drastic changes in the environment that we create at home?
Creating a good home life for your children is not as hard as you think. The ingredients of a good home are usually loving parents who are good role models for their kids, children who are respected and are in turn taught how to respect others as well as open communication lines between parent and child. A child who came from a home where respect is practiced will usually reflect the same value in society. On the other hand, an individual who has been exposed to a chaotic home life where rudeness and violence are a daily part of life is likely to carry out these attitudes outside the home.
However, there are still some parents who insist that factors outside the home such as peer pressure and pop culture are the main culprits in today’s lack of civility. What do YOU think?
The Pros and Cons of Staying Together for Your Children
If you’re a parent then you are probably familiar with the pressure of having to make the right decisions for your child at all times. What food to serve, what school to enroll in, what values to teach are only some of the everyday decisions that can affect the welfare of our children. However, what happens when these decisions become a lot more challenging? For parents who are unhappily living with each other, the decision whether to separate or not will be one of the toughest decisions they will ever make. Many couples find themselves unhappy with each other. If you and your spouse have tried time and again to fix your marriage to no avail then it might be time to look for other ways to resolve such matters. Settling this conflict is twice as hard on couples with children because the decision affects not only the couple but the little ones involved as well. Perhaps it would be a good idea to discuss the pros and cons of separating so you and your spouse can start taking an objective look on the matter.
Pros of separating
Creating a resolution in a conflicted relationship where a child is involved in is a complex process. The truth is that any situation where parents have to separate will be devastating to any child. What you can do is evaluate the benefits of ending your marriage and think about how it may affect your children. You might think that to grin and bear it for your children is the best decision but the truth is you could be harming your children more by staying in an unhappy marriage. Being an unhappy wife or husband can easily stop you from being the best parent you can be. You might even start resenting parenting because of all the sacrifices you have to make for your kids. Another advantage of ending an unhappy marriage is the fact that you won’t have to expose your children anymore to the animosity between you and your spouse, which can be more harmful for them than divorce.
Cons of separating
The cons or disadvantages of separating should be considered carefully by couples who decide to separate without trying to save their marriage. Remember that separation can cause your children to think they should be choosing between their mother and father. Divorce is almost always traumatizing for the child. Since the child still does not have enough knowledge about life, it might take him years to recover and understand the event that took place. Many children from a “broken home” see their home life as a shadow that hangs over their social life, personal life, school work and future relationships. Depending on the child, some would see their parent’s separation as a reason to avoid stability while some will see it as a cautionary tale to avoid for their own families.
In the end, it’s important to know that every couple faces a tough time in their relationship where separating can seem like the best solution. However, being a good spouse and a responsible parent means that divorce should only be seen as the last resort. In the event that it’s unavoidable, children should receive the guidance they need to get through the ordeal. What do YOU think?
Read more about what the experts are saying here: http://marriage.about.com/od/divorce/i/gooddivorceiss_2.htm
Top 10 Popular Twins Baby Names in 2008
Choosing your baby’s name is not picnic. But choosing twins babies’ names is even more daunting.
A child’s name can be so significant in their identity, their personality, their popularity, etc.
With twins, it’s even more difficult. Do you name them similar names to celebrate the fact that they are twins or do you name them completely different names to underline their individuality? Well, the answers to these questions are completely subjective. But here is a list from the Social Security Administration on the Top Twins Baby Names for 2008. Now you can get a glimpse of what other people are doing.
| Rank | Names | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacob, Joshua | 69 |
| 2 | Daniel, David | 59 |
| 3 | Jayden, Jordan | 56 |
| 4 | Ethan, Evan | 50 |
| 5 | Taylor, Tyler | 43 |
| 6 | Gabriella, Isabella | 42 |
| 7 | Isaac, Isaiah | 40 |
| 8 | Madison, Morgan | 38 |
| 9 | Elijah, Isaiah | 36 |
| 10 | Ella, Emma | 35 |
Product Watch: Rock-a-My-Baby on a Door Top
We love ingenuity around here at Gigi’s Crib and this new crib by Swedish company Mawok has definitely met our high standards! It seems babies would naturally embrace this bed… smooth rocking motion to remind them of momma’s belly, soft padded mattress and the added convenience of hooking up right next to your bed for nightly feedings and cuddling. Ahh…who could ask for more?
Here is the product description from the company:
“Soft hammock
A soft and enfolding hammock is a prerequisite for the baby to lie safely when Mawok smoothly rocks up and down, and in addition we know that babies like sleeping snugly. Furthermore, although no known cure for SIDS exists so far, pediatricians recommend back sleeping, and in Mawok babies lie safely on their back, the SIDS recommended position. The mattress is made out of styrofoam, measuring 29 x 78 cm, with a cotton canvas cover (washable at 60 degrees Centigrades).
Suspension
Two new modes of suspension are offered, one permanent which is attached to the wall and one mobile which is simply hung over a door. The mobile solution is a safe and neat solution which is easy to suspend in new places, a solution unique to Mawok. The hammock is easily and quickly alternated between the two modes of suspension. This means that your baby always sleeps in its ”own” bed, day and night and even if the place changes.”
My only concern would be what if someone opens the door and you have the baby hooked up on the inside? It’s not very idiot proof and I am not sure if this will get approved in the US. No pun intended, but I can just see how this can go wrong if unattended or if attached to unsafe locations.
I wish they would come up with one of these for adults! And it even comes with a mosquito net so you can hang your baby from a tree for a good nap in the park. 
What do you think about this product?
If you own one, what can you tell us about it?
Are Your Children TV Addicts?
Some days I wish my daughter WOULD WATCH TV all day!!! Does that make me a bad mother???? I try to FORCE her to watch TV – but no luck??? Am I the only one who has a child who won’t watch tv??? Even when I absolutely need her to? I should be embarrassed to admit this but if you knew my daughter, you would understand. She epitomizes the energizer bunny. She just doesn’t ever stop. Most days I cant even cook her breakfast without witnessing the terror attacks on our cat with the laundry hamper (she traps the cat underneath it like a cage and tries to be “nice”), the stampede on our 13 year old pitbull (Most days she tries to see how long she can stand on the poor dog while she flips around on the swivel chair–thank god our dog is docile), the destruction of every piece of furniture and wall in the house and soooo much more!!! She is out of control.
I feel like I have to pick my battles most days. If I dont, I end up SCREAMING at her all day and my vocabulary consitsts of — NO, dont do that. DOnt do this! Stop it!!! Im warning You!!! Come here!!! NO NO NO!!! We dont eat crayons!!! NO NO NO, we dont take off our diapers!!! And so on and so on!!!
There are times I BEG her to watch TV!!! Just for 30 minutes! Doesn’t work! Go figure!
Anyway, this new study by the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute, indicates that television may reduce speech in the home and, in turn, could hinder a young child’s language development.
Researchers at attached a small, business-card-size devices to 329 children from 2 months to 4 years old on random days each month during a two-year period to capture everything a child heard and said. They found that while the average adult speaks about 1,000 words an hour, that number goes down by 25 percent to 50 percent when a television set is on.
“This builds a pretty strong argument that television delays language development,” said Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “And the effects of learning words is not just about language development but also cognitive development.”
Christakis suggests eliminating TV for children under 2 years and limiting television time to two hours a day for older kids. He also said parents should keep the television off during meals, avoid using TV as a reward, keep TV out of the bedrooms and turn off the tube when a chosen program ends.
Now, this is coming from just one mother of a two year old, but I have not noticed any delay in her speech development from watching TV. In fact, I’ve noticed she picks up new words and songs. She can even sing her ABC’s now, count to 10 and sing the Barney Song. She knows a lot of other songs also that we didn’t teach her that she picked up from the Sprout channel – The Happy Birthday Song, Twinkle Twinkle and a bunch more! And she is 22 months old. She knows a lot of colors and other things they include in the shows and when we play together, her Dad an I reinforce those things as well. We read books, sing songs, count to 10, do puzzles, and pretend play but COME ON — how much of that can you do in a day???
Obviously, if you left your child in front of the TV all day and didnt interact with him/her at all, OBVIOUSLY, that would impair social skills and cognitive development. They learn from copying others around them and speech is best learned through real human interaction.
Have you ever tried to learn to speak another language through DVD’s and books??? Not so good right??? But what if you moved to that country and actually interacted with the natives??? Language skills and fluency jumped through the roof, right?? You pick up the meanings of sooo many more words and expression simply through observing and communicating with a human being. Things like that you can’t pick up from TV, a book or a class. However, they can reinforce what you’ve learned through repetition and further practice on your own.
Children are the same way. They learn from actual real life communications with their parents and TV, books, etc. can reinforce that k nowledge. Leave them in front of the TV all day and you only get half the recipe.
I am not sure how these researchers came to the conclusion that children should not watch ANY TV at all. In my humble opinion, everything in moderation can be useful, healthy and even further your child’s development. But don’t take my word for it. I’m no certified scientist or child development researcher.
What do you do during the day with your children?? What kind of activies do you participate in? Do you let them watch TV??
Are you Making a Mockery of Parenthood?
Ok …. so we’ve been making a mockery of motherhood at Gigi’s Crib for a few years now, and I thought it was interesting to read that the New York Times is just finally now reporting on a trend away from being a Helicopter Mommy!
Apparently, people are beginning to understand that trusting our instincts and intuition is not such a bad thing when it comes to raising our children. That we don’t have to compete with the Joneses and show off what a perfect parent we are. We can be nurses, marketing managers, designers, doctors, wives or whatever first and then mothers. We don’t have to wear motherhood like a crown/identity everywhere we go. It’s OK to be YOU!
You are not a bad mother if you don’t give your children violin lessons, Michael Douglas’ nanny, private kindergarten, private French lessons, 4 home-cooked meals per day plus a special snack, or whatever it is you think you need to give them.
The current revolution in parenting seems to shy away from smothering your children.
I wonder how long this trend will last and what the next will be?
What do you think? What is your parenting style?
