The Special Events Blog @ PuddlesCollection.com » Family/Parenting

St Patrick’s Day Activities

admin — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 23:04:43 +0000

St Patrick’s Day is almost here. This is a holiday kids really get into. It’s fun to be green! Children celebrate this holiday in a very different way than adults do. Many schools have leprechauns that come into the classroom leaving treats and causing a little mischief. You can even try this at home for some fun. Treats can be anything from stickers to gold coins to a piece of candy. This is a great opportunity for you and your child to have some fun together

Have green eggs and ham for dinner
Get free printables on line and do some coloring
Make and decorate a leprechaun hat
Play find the lucky clover (the adult can hide, children can find)
Write a poem about St. Patrick’s Day
Check out and read a book from the library about St Patrick’s Day
Bake clover shaped green cookies
Hide gold coins around the house and collect in a pot of gold
Make a rainbow mobile
Play Irish hot potato
Make homemade shamrock shakes
Listen to some traditional Celtic music

Most of all this is an opportunity to have some fun!

Easy Solution for Packing Lunches

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:57:05 +0000

I started using Easy Luncboxes about a year ago to pack my son lunch for school. I really like how easy it is to use. There are three compartments to fill. I use the large compartment for the main part of the meal and the other two for a fruit and a veggie. I also include one other item for additional snack in the cooler bag separate from the lunchbox (chex mix, yogurt, applesauce, etc.) If we have leftovers from dinner I can literally pack lunch in about two minutes before dinner is even cleared from the table. I can’t imagine putting everything into it’s own little container. And washing them is super easy as well, they are dishwasher safe! And you can check here for healthy lunch ideas. I can definitely recommend this product based on my own experience using the lunch boxes.

The owner of EasyLunchboxes is a fellow mom. She has started a new web series called “Let’s Do Lunch”. Remember Greg Brady?

Happy New Year 2011

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:40:50 +0000

I hope everyone had a great holiday and was able to take some time off. While on vacation I had time to reflect on family and take a look at what is ahead for our family. Here is what I hope to achieve.

Do Not Overschedule. My kids don’t have that much time before homework and activities really start taking over so I want us to enjoy time as a family and with friends.

Make Family Time. We will continue our Friday night movies at home. It is nice looking forward to one night dedicated to just the family.

Introduce New Things. I want each of my kids to pick a fun new activity to learn. Something like ice skating or a specific craft. They can each set a goal to achieve by the end of the year.

Unplug. We will have unplugged times where the phones are away, tv and video games are off and we all enjoy an activity together.

Ideas for Teacher Gifts

admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:17:27 +0000

I like to say thank you to my kids teachers for a job well done at the holidays. While it really is the thought that counts, I want to give the teachers something useful not just another coffee mug! As a former teacher, let me tell you, there are only so many mugs a person has use for. So I asked some teachers and friends and came up with this list of ideas for teachers gifts.

Peppermint bark, cookies or other candy/baked good in cello bags.
Gift cards. Amazon, Target, Visa, Starbucks, Macys, a local restaurant are just a few examples.
Personalized stationary.
Books. Either a children’s book for the classroom or an adult book for the teacher.
Framed or laminated piece of art from your child.
Plant for the classroom.
Recipe jar. Layer the ingredients from your favorite cookie recipe into a cute jar.
Teacher survival kit. Put together a box with anti-bacterial soap, paper, pencils, markers, etc.
A personal note or letter.
Handmade ornament.

It really is not about the cost of the gift. I found cello bags in the $1 bin at Target as well as some red ribbon which made the bark look more dressed up. And if you find something affordable it is nice to include some of the other people your child works with at school like the music, art or PE teacher.

Healthy After School Snacks

admin — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:07:28 +0000

My kids are HUNGRY when they get home from school. And with activities at night I need them to have a good, healthy snack to tide them over until dinnertime. They seem to need more than just a piece of fruit these days so this is in addition to the fruit they are already getting. I love reading up on recipes and food so here is a list of snacks I have found that work well for after school.

Cheese and whole grain crackers
Whole grain bagel or pita with cream cheese or peanut butter
Yogurt with frozen fruit
Cereal
Baked pita chips and hummus
Veggies and hummus
Mixed nuts
Air popped popcorn
Edamame
Whole wheat tortilla wrap with cream cheese & turkey
Whole wheat tortilla quesadilla
Applesauce with cinnamon
Homemade trail mix with nuts, pretzels, goldfish and raisins
Brown rice cakes
Multigrain waffles
English muffin pizza
Tuna on whole grain crackers

My list contains all egg-free options since my daughter is allergic to eggs!

Back To School

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 21:24:20 +0000

This is a big year for us with two kids in school now. I have found this first week of back to school to be pretty overwhelming for all of us! Just getting the kids (mostly the younger one) on a schedule to be able to wake up in time hasn’t really worked itself out yet. But we are getting there. At least I had lunchboxes for the kids! I think the two summer classroom visits we did with my daughter really helped prepare her for her first ever day of school But there are definitely some things to note for next year.

If one child needs an emergency kit at school, that probably means the other does too.
A change of clothes in the cubby for a pre-schooler is a good idea not matter how long they have been potty trained
Get all clothes that don’t fit out of the closet.
Maybe going on a vacation in a 3 hour different time zone the week before school starts is not the best for getting the kids back on school schedule.
Have something prepared for share day before the morning it needs to be taken to school.
Consider skipping nighttime activities week one of school

And some things that went well..

Out to a special dinner and ice cream after the first day of school
Making lunches the night before
Picking out the kids clothes the night before (I have always done this and it is a big time saver)
Leaving lots of time for talking during bedtime to prepare for the next day
Take a picture of the kids on the first day of school

Kudos to my daughter’s dance teacher and my son’s sports coach who don’t start class until the week after school starts so the kids can get adjusted. I am looking forward to a quiet evening at home with the family tonight!

Decorating The Kids’ Rooms

admin — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:54:24 +0000

This is something that happens over time at our house. Most recently my daughter has gotten her big girl furniture and my son has added a surf motif to his Americana bedroom. I found several items sitting buried in his closet waiting for someone, anyone to rescue them to be displayed on the wall. I decided the time was now, and I would tackle this project on my own.

To start I gathered a hammer, dry wall screws, measuring tape, and a pencil. I grabbed the ladder and went to work. It took surprisingly very little time and effort and made me wonder why I had been waiting so long for someone else to do it. And I am not handy at all. I staggered the stars so they wouldn’t need to be in a straight line.

This is one of my favorite items – the stuffed animal zoo. My son has a TON of stuffed animals and they were taking over his room. This piece of furniture solved everything! He can easily put them in himself and take them out.

Since I was on a roll I headed over to my daughter’s room to hang a picture (now that I am an expert at that!) and change the curtains. Her original curtains were on hooks, but it was pretty easy to just slide those off and and put the new ones directly on the rod.

So this Tackle It Tuesday was very productive and the kids love their new decor!

Traveling With The Kids

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:17:41 +0000

Summertime brings family vacations, so let’s make them fun! My favorite recent quote comes from Claire on Modern Family “I’m a mom traveling with my kids. For me, this is not a vacation. It’s a business trip.” Having the right mindset can make all the difference. First, this is not a vacation for you, it’s a FAMILY vacation. This means the goal is for everyone to have a good time, not for the parents to get a break.

SET EXPECTATIONS: What is the purpose of the vacation? Relax? Sight Seeing? Make sure everyone knows the plan. Choose activities that are fun for everyone.

PACKING: Everyone gets their own bag – don’t pack the kids in your bag. Keep your suitcase for your clothes and travel items. Pick the size luggage that you can handle hauling around and fit all of your stuff into that. Don’t pick your luggage based on how much stuff you want to bring. Have your child identify a few items that they cannot live without (like that special blanket or stuffed animal). Then pack a few other things like books and small toys to keep them occupied during down time. Be careful about bringing anything that can’t be replace as things do get lost/left behing.

AIRPLANE BAGS: Each of my children has their own backpack to bring on the plane. Inside those backpacks you will find coloring books, crayons, leapster, snacks, a drink, books, action figures, hot wheels, princesses, and ponies. In my backpack you will find a dvd player, treats, and changes of clothes in addition to my Ipod, book, and DS. For our trip this year I splurged and bought each of the kids new headphones, Toy Story and Disney Princess.

DURING THE TRIP: Decide up front if you are going to try to keep the kids on schedule for things like meal times, naps, and bed times. We go with the flow on vacation, but try to maintain a decent bed time. Overtired, cranky kids are no fun for anyone so be realistic about how much you are squeezing into a day. Always have tons of snacks with you and a change of clothes for everyone, not just the kids (you never know when your child’s food or drink will end up spilled all over you!)

RELAX: It is vacation!

We are doing a beach style vacation this year so our challenge will be keeping the kids entertained without many activities planned. Luckily they both love the water so I see a lot of pool and sand time happening. But we will need more than two beach chairs!

Tackling The Kids Toys

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:12:19 +0000

How do the kids’ toys start taking over the house? We have bins, organizers, bookcases, trunks, but we have gotten to an overflow point (this does seem to happen after each kids birthday party!). So for my first Tackle it Tuesday I decided to clean out the kids toys. When I say clean out the kids toys, I mean go through every room and pull them all out. I had two young assistants on this project.

Pull Out All The Toys. Yes, we pulled out all the toys into the living room.

Sort The Toys. We put all the toys in piles: older child, younger child, giveaway, toy pieces. We then tried to match up all the loose pieces with their toy or game. Then we grouped the items in each child’s pile (ie board games, action figures, dolls, etc).

Giving Away Toys. I promptly e-mailed several friends who have babies with a list of toys that are ready for new homes. One has already picked up some and the other two are scheduled to come over this week. Funny how the kids start playing with toys that have gone unused for 6 months once they are in the giveaway pile!

Organizing and Putting the Toys Away. We put certain toys in the kids rooms and chose others to stay in the play room.

The Aftermath. Then there are the toys that are no longer usable. Broken hot wheels tracks, games with missing pieces. Some of these went into the recycling bin.

I finally feel like we have some space again! Getting the baby toys out was a huge part of that. We unearthed some hidden treasures from the bottom of the toy bin and the back of some shelves – it’s almost like having a few new toys!

Fun Summer Activities With The Kids

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:03:16 +0000

School’s out for summer! How long until you hear the dreaded “I’m bored”. Planning ahead can help keep the days running smoothly. Here are some activities you can do with your family this summer that wont break the bank.

Library – many libraries have summer reading programs or story times. You can also just visit the library to check out books. Check out local bookstores for summer programs as well.
Zoo – Avoid the heat of the day and go in the early morning to get the most out of the zoo. Look into memberships or discount days.
Children’s Museum – These can be less crowded during the summer months since there are fewer school field trips. Call ahead to find a day where there are no camp or school visits.
Outdoor Fun – Make time to play in the front or back yard. Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, scavenger hunt, kites, frisbee, and scooters all make for great outdoor fun. If you have an area with dirt invest in a small shovel and pail.
Garden – Plant a garden in your back yard or find a community garden.
Painting – Invest in a set of paints and a roll of butcher paper. Find an area where you can tape of the pieces of butcher paper to be painted on. I prefer to do this outside of the house!
Park – Explore your local parks. Pick a new park every week, even drive one town over. Bring balls and sand toys or even scooters or trikes if there is a cement area.
Bowling – Check out the Kids Bowl Free program to see if there is a participating bowling center near you.
Play Dates – Reach out to your friends or your kids friend’s parents to arrange play dates.
Camp Out – In your own backyard!
Indoor Playtime – Make a fort, play a board game, do a puzzle, play with those toys in the back of the cupboard you haven’t seen in months.
Craft Projects – There are free printables and craft ideas all over the internet! You don’t have to be a crafty person to help your kids through a project.
Cook – Start teaching the kids how to help you cook. There are lots of cooking project specifically designed for kids if you don’t want to start out with the family meals.
Volunteer – Check out Waystohelp.org to find volunteer opportunities for your children.

Make sure you have something planned every day. You don’t want to every minute of the summer scheduled out, but having something ready for the kids really helps avoid summer boredom.