Cut It!

My dear friend, Callie, recently shared a craft idea with me that I thought was simple and brilliant - the kind of "craft" I can actually manage! She gives her precious (and I mean precious!) daughter old magazines and let's her cut out shapes or other objects. She can then paste them onto paper. She also suggested that your child can make a card with her cuttings, perhaps concentrating on images that remind your dear of the recipient - a nice alternative to the typical crayon or marker scribbled ones. :) Happy cutting!

It's Just a Material Thing

I just finished glueing a ceramic bowl back together. It doesn't look perfect - not even close - but I'm convinced that if I put it high enough on a shelf, no one will notice the cracks that run through it like a family tree. Since I mention this on a mommy blog, you've probably guessed that the broken bowl is the result of an incident involving one of my children. If so, you've guessed correctly.

I know it's just a material thing, but that bowl happened to be one of my favorite material things. Fortunately, as I heard it drop to the floor, I instantly remembered a saying that a friend shared with me a couple of years ago: "Don't let your children think that material things are more important than they are." Well, of course they're not, so does this statement have anything more to offer? I think so, primarily because of how how we sometimes respond when accidents occur. If something breaks and we respond with a shriek and look of horror, a young person might be led to think that the "thing" is of greater value and more important to you than they themselves are.

Of course children need to be taught to be careful and to respect things as good stewards of all that the Lord has given us, but we can teach a child a whole lot by how we react when things break. For one, we can remind them (and ourselves) to value spiritual things over material possessions. We should be storing our treasures up in heaven, after all, where moth and rust (and kids) do not destroy. So the next time something special breaks, or gets lost, ripped, or colored, remind yourself that you can build up your children at that very moment. You can teach them that some things are unbreakable and irreplaceable--like their status as our children. You can glue into their hearts things like responsibility, stewardship, and teamwork (clean-up, clean-up). Finally, you can demonstrate to them that our priorities should reflect those of the Lord, namely Christ and the salvation that we have in and through Him!

Try and See...

Do you have a picky eater? Or do you have a good eater who won't touch certain foods (i.e. like veggies)? Don't give up! I have been amazed that my boys will eat certain foods only in certain forms. Carrots, for instance, are apparently only edible when cooked in chicken broth in the oven (or straight off a snowman, as my eldest demonstrated today). Other vegetables are devoured, but only when smothered in hummus. Cucumbers will not be touched when diced, but they will be if they're sliced thinly in the round. You can provide various dips, or try it roasted, sauteed, boiled, steamed, seasoned, raw, or pureed. Give them a try and you may be pleasantly surprised that what was once despised is now enjoyed (or at least tolerated)! :)

Best of luck!

Soak the Sponge

We've all heard that young children can be likened to a sponge, absorbing just about anything and everything that comes their way - to some extent, anyway. How can we best take advantage of this characteristic in our absorbent little ones?

1. Answer it. As your dear is learning the world around him, he will likely ask you lots of questions. When he does, be intentional and thorough with your answers. Certainly use language that he can understand, but don't worry too much about overwhelming him. I'm convinced that far more can go in than comes out in the early years. If you're challenged with questions for which you don't have an answer, look it up. You'll be demonstrating habits that will help him down the road and you might be amazed by how much you'll learn, too!

2. Expand the reading. How many of us can recite Brown Bear, Brown Bear or Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? in our sleep? If you find yourself reading the same books over and over to your child, know that this is a wonderful exercise developmentally. It might become monotonous to you, and if so, try spicing things up by asking them questions about different things on the page. For example, "How many ears does the bunny have?," "What color is this? Is it red or blue?," or "Does the bird look happy or sad?" As they get older you can take it a step further by discussing the rhyming words or testing their memory to see if they know what happens next in the story.

3. Turn mundane routines into learning opportunities. Take the opportunity during routine endeavors to learn about letters, numbers, shapes and colors. We sing the ABC song while we're washing our hands (if you have a tiny one, you can sing while changing a diaper). At the end we sing, "Now I can wash this soap off me" (the grammatically correct among you might want to say myself instead of me) instead of "Next time won't you sing with me?" You can also create a stack of socks while you fold laundry and count the number of individual socks or count by 2s once the pairs are matched. When walking or driving, point out shapes on road signs and describe things by color (e.g. "Look at that blue truck"). They may not catch on right away, but with repetition, they eventually will!

Holiday Event Schedules (and Theirs!)

Only two weeks and two days until Christmas! Time is flying and as preparations are gearing up for holiday festivities and celebrations, parents should be gearing up to make some preparations of their own. Amid all the hustle and bustle of the season, the little one's needs can sometimes get lost in the swirl. Begin voicing suggestions now to give all involved plenty of time to adjust as needed to make this a merry Christmas for all!

1. Think about the timing of the meal(s), gift opening, gathering, etc.. Go ahead and decide what times are best to schedule "the biggies." You might want to request an early lunch or dinner for your big Christmas day meal to keep in sync with the kid's normal routine. If you think that both you and they would enjoy eating separately, plan around nap times, or pick up a new video to provide quiet entertainment while the adults feast. As for gift opening, try to coordinate with the extended family so the kids can be rested at that time and at their peek.

2. Pray for patience and understanding. If all of the events surrounding this Christmas go off without a hitch, in terms of the children, then you are one of the lucky few! Otherwise, prepare for the inevitable - kids will get overtired, overstimulated and one or more fits will be thrown. If your schedules are filled to the brim with people and activity, this will likely affect them, and, unfortunately, the affect may very well be negative. Be patient with them and give them some quiet reprieve when needed. This may even mean that you have to miss out on some events for their sakes. If this is the case, switch off with your spouse or find a babysitter if you think the kids might be better off missing an event than miserably enduring it.

3. Go with the flow. While mothers (at least I can speak for myself) love to be in control, we can't control everything, particularly when many others are involved, as they usually are this time of year. There will be times when you'll be much better off rolling with the masses, than fighting against them. Prepare for this ahead of time and relax in the moment. You'll enjoy the celebration far more, as will those around you.

4. Plan for quiet time. Make sure that you pencil in some alone time for your immediate family - enjoy going through an advent calendar, reading the gospel accounts of Jesus' birth, watching a Christmas movie or playing at home, or in a room separate from the chaos if you're not in your own home. Don't let the season fly by without allowing for time to let all of the joys of remembering that "the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:11) assumed human flesh all those years ago so that we might have life on this earth and life everlasting!

Flying with Kids

Many of us will be traveling with our kids this holiday season. You may be a seasoned traveller, or this may be your first venture into the air with your little one(s). Either way, here are some tips that will hopefully limit the turbulence, both in the airport and 35,000 feet above!

1. Stay calm. Our kids are always watching us and reading our demeanors. If we're stressed and hyper, chances are they'll be wound up too.

2. Pack lightly. You certainly don't want to forget any essentials, but you only want to pack what's necessary. If you're meeting someone at your final destination, see if they can pick up diapers, wipes, etc. to lighten your load. You can always pay them back once you arrive. Also, this might be a season when you need to make some sacrifices in terms of clothing for yourself. Plan on re-wearing outfits or get creative and mix and match to feel like you're wearing something new. And do laundry when you can.

3. On-line check-in. This is probably obvious to most of you, but make sure you do anything you can at home to make the time at the airport go as smoothly as possible.

4. Backpack it. Trade your cute baby bag in for a backpack. You won't be worried about things falling out or about the bag sliding off your arm. This also might keep you balanced if you end up carrying a little one through the airport. Another plus is that most backpacks have multiple shortage spaces so you can easily keep up with items that you'll need throughout your trip. Prioritize what you're carrying and place the most important items (i.e. snacks) in easy to reach locations.

*I try to leave my pocketbook at home - one less thing to carry. Make sure you have pants with pockets and stick your license/passport, money and ticket in there. Everything else can go in the backpack.

5. Stroller with a pocket underneath. A stroller can be useful for carrying babies or bags. Storage underneath the stroller can come in handy, too.

6. CHECK BAGS and car seats* (wrapped in clear plastic). "Check bags" is in caps, because if you're anything like me, you can't bear to pay the extra fee to check a bag. When you're traveling with kids, however, the $25 might be well worth it. If you are checking, make it easy on yourself and use the curbside check-in. My theory is to drop off as much weight as possible as quickly as you can. You will have to check the car seats inside, and it's usually a good idea to ask them to wrap it in a clear plastic bag to keep the germs at bay.

*Keep a car seat with you if your child isn't too big and would be better off contained on the plane.

7. Make sure you get a boarding pass for your lap child. This hasn't always been a rule, but they now require each person, ticketed or not, to have a boarding pass in order to get through security.

*Ask the person at the gate if there are any extra seats available. They will often bend over backwards to keep families together and happy and snagging an extra seat for more room or to seat a "lap child" in could make for a far more comfortable flight!

8. Slip-on shoes. Choose your shoes wisely. Wearing slip-on shoes will enable you to easily take them off and put them back on when going through security.

9. $5 for 2 hours of happiness. I try to bring all of the food we'll need from home. This saves you money and time and is ideal. However, if you run out of food, or if your child complains of thirst right before you board, a snack or drink is worth every penny. Consider it an investment with a return of a whine-free flight (or greater chances of one anyway).

10. DVD player or other forms of entertainment. You want to be prepared to entertain, but you don't want to be burdened by the extra weight. Choose four toys or so that typically keep your child's attention for an extended period. Hit the Dollar Store for little distractions or now may be the time to splurge on a small toy they've been eyeing.

11. Light blanket. Plane temps can be unpredictable so bring a light blanket along to cuddle up with in case it gets chilly.

12. Food. Food. Food. Food is likely the most important item you'll need. They're much happier when they're not hungry, so come well stocked for your entire journey. Don't forget a plastic bag and napkins or wipes to help with clean up.

Give Thanks...

...for dirty diapers, wet sheets, early risers, tantrums in your home, tantrums outside of your home, spills on white sofas, runny noses, skipped naps, picky eaters, messy eaters, back and neck aches from carting 30+ pounds up and down stairs multiple times a day, toys to trip over, loud noises, bruised knees, bumped heads, endless dishes and laundry and ...

...for diapers to get dirty, sheets to get wet, children rising healthy and happy in the morning - a reminder of the Lord's mercies, teachable moments to talk to our children about their sinful nature and the forgiveness, hope and life that is theirs in Christ, sofas to spill on, kleenex for runny noses, napless afternoons that afford extra time to tangibly love on them, food options to be picky about, abundance of food with which to be messy, working bodies to hold and carry our little ones and homes to carry them around in, toys for their enjoyment, joyful noises, knees to bruise, heads to bump, dishes and laundry that remind us of all the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon our family.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward." Psalm 127:3

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

Emergency Kit for the Car

You may not have an "emergency stash" in your car, or you may have one but haven't repacked it in weeks, months or even years. We've all found ourselves in those unfortunate binds when we're out and about and need something and we need that something fast! Without it, kids will be crying, or even screaming, messes will get messier and an otherwise pleasant car ride will turn into the longest ten minutes of our lives. Okay, I'm exaggerating on that last point, but it's definitely no fun to have to deal with the consequences of not having a key item when it counts. To make life much easier and car rides much more enjoyable, start packing (or re-packing) your emergency bag with these key items.

1. The bag. First, you need "the bag." You can certainly use any bag, but I would recommend that you switch out the plastic grocery bag for a real bag with a zipper. This will keep everything contained and you won't have to worry about items falling out and rolling under seats so that they're just out of reach when you really need them.

2. Medical supplies. Even if you've never had to use medical supplies while you're out, having the contents will be worth it if a medical emergency (however minor) arises. Band-aids, Neosporin, Cortaid, Antiseptic, gauze, latex gloves, tweezers, and hand sanitizer. It may sound way too intense to keep all of these supplies, but you never know when you, or someone else, could use them. To simplify the gathering process, you can always just buy a first-aid kit.

3. Change of clothes. Pick out an outfit for each child (don't forget socks) and stick them in the bag. Your young children could have accidents, get sick, step in puddles, spill food or drink and...Again, you may never have to use these, but let's be honest, with young kids, chances are good that you probably will.

4. Snacks, snacks, snacks. I don't really need to elaborate here, do I?? Haven't we all found ourselves stuck in traffic or running errands and cutting it way too close to dinner time when the kids get hungry? Make sure to choose the emergency snacks wisely. Perhaps something that is somewhat healthy - so that if it spoils their dinner, at least it will provide some nutrition - and something that doesn't crumble or will be easy to clean up if it does spill (we love raisins, Kix cereal, and granola bars covered with yogurt).

5. An extra blanket (or two or three). These don't have to fit in the bag, but an extra blanket for each child is a great thing to have. Use them for warmth, drying off or laying down on the ground for picnics. If you're looking for versatility, pack towels, which can keep them warm and dry!

6. Miscellaneous essentials. A large box of wipes, paper towels, sunscreen, bug spray, plastic fork, knife, spoon, extra pacifier, bottle or sippy cup.

7. $5. You probably don't like the idea of leaving money in your car, but 5 dollars could come in real handy someday. This could buy food or drink for the kids, pay a toll or cover an emergency grocery store run for one or two items.

**It's a good idea to stick a small bottle of instant hand sanitizer in the drink holders of all the car doors. That will help you remember to wash off the germs while you're strapping the kids, and yourself, in.

Toddler Time!

If you're not quite ready to put your child in preschool, or if you're just looking for another activity during the week that is more structured than a regular playgroup, you might want to think about coordinating a "Toddler Time" with other young moms in your area. Some friends of mine started a "Toddler Time" this fall and apparently it's been a hit for kids and moms alike! One of their catch lines sums it up: "Because breaking out the art smock is a lot less scary when we're doing it together!"

Here are some excerpts from the flier they sent out to moms in their area:

Every other Wednesday: Oct 6, 20, Nov 3, 17, Dec 1

9:30-10:30ish

Calvary OPC, Glenside, Fellowship Hall

Moms and toddlers ages 1-3

Parents can help by:

1. Contributing $10 for art supplies for the whole fall

2. Bringing a snack to share with the group

3. Leading one of the activities listed below, every meeting or alternate with a friend

Schedule:

9:30- Circle Time Welcome (Lead the group in new or familiar songs and introduce a theme while everyone arrives)

9:40- Story or Finger Play (bring a book from home to read or teach a song with hand motions

9:50- Creative Movement (lead a gender-neutral dance/movement activity to music)

10:00- Craft

10:15- Free Play and Snack (sign up to bring a snack to share)

10:25- Good-Bye Song (Lead a good-bye song...we'll use the same one every week)

10:30- Dismiss and Clean Up (Sign up to clean up)

Fall Schedule:

COLORS!

Oct 6- Red/Leaf Printing

Oct 20- Blue/Painting Sticks, Pumpkins and Acorns

Nov 3- Yellow/Playdough

Nov 17- Purple/Tissue Paper Collage

Dec 1- Green/Bubble Wrap Printing

Of course you can change up the activities to gear them toward your children's ages and interests. For example, you could stick to themes such as sports, music, nature or cooking.

Shop Now and Save (Your Sanity) Later

Next week is November and while it is VERY, VERY hard to believe, the holidays are right around the corner. Before the stores get too hectic and the traffic gets too bad, beat the crowds and save yourself some time and avoid the headaches that can often accompany holiday season shopping.

What to do now:

1. Make a list. Keep a list of all of the people to whom you will be giving gifts. Start brainstorming ideas and use this as a reference when it comes time to buy. This might even give you time to think outside the box! For example, instead of giving your dad another tie, you could give him a "gift certificate" for a day with you. Treat him to lunch and then take him to a movie or to play golf.

2. Take your children to a toy store and let them roam around. Watch closely and note which toys they are most drawn to. Make a list and go back to the store later to purchase the items.

3. Tear out pages from magazines with gift possibilities. Organize these in an accordion folder with a section for each family member and/or friend.

4. Capitalize on the opportunity to give. Instead of thinking of giving as a chore, take advantage of the chance you have to show someone that you really put some thought and effort into their gift. Thoughtfulness goes farther than money spent!

Gift ideas for little ones (ages 1-4, approximately):

*Nerf dart launchers (Nerf N-Strike Maverick Blaster)

*Wooden or plastic table and chairs

*Sensory ball

*Books (make it a tradition to give each child a special book every Christmas)

*Toy medical kit

*Little People

*Legos

*Toy cash register

*Sit 'N Spin (Playskool)

*Puppet show stage and puppets

*Grocery cart with groceries

*Magic kit

*Accessories to an item that they already have (e.g. for a train set or doll house)

*Scooter and helmet

*Dress-up costumes

*Melissa and Doug toys/puzzles

*Leap Frog

*Tent and tunnel

*Playdough activity kit

*Easel and art supplies

*Pet fish

*Bean bags

*Tool box

*Soccer goal/ball, basketball goal/ball, golf set, etc.

*Musical instruments

*Board games: Hungry Hippo, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, Chutes and Ladders, Candyland (even if your child is younger, you can modify the rules until he/she is older)

Where to shop:

*Target

*Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Steinmart, Tuesday Morning

*Dollar Store

*Kid's Consignment Shops

*Sam's/Costco

*Craigslist

*On-line

**Don't forget to look for coupons on-line before you shop. Keep them in a small accordion folder in your pocketbook or your car so they will be accessible whenever you're able to get to the stores.

Buy now:

These books are great for preparing yourself/your family for the Christmas season. Or you can give them as gifts!

*Treasuring God in our Traditions, Noel Piper

*Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, Nancy Guthrie

*The Christmas Lover's Handbook, Lasley Gober (This is a shameless plug for my mom's book that is no longer in print! I've found it on Amazon.com in recent years though, so it's worth a try!)

Disciplining Your Darlings

Whether you're cuddling with your newborn or running around chasing your toddler, you've likely thought a lot about how you will raise your children. If you're looking for literature to help guide you in this endeavor, I've got a few recommendations (see below). But the one that I'm focusing on today is Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman. Her book couples wit and wisdom to assist you in your heart motivation and actions as your child's primary disciplinarian.

To save you some suspense, she doesn't condone the "count to three" method. Instead she uses and, I think, brilliantly applies Scripture to train her children. After all, Plowman reminds us, "God uses His Word in order to convict His children. Therefore when our children sin, we should use God's Word in order that they might be convicted." Do you beat your kids over the head with the Bible? Absolutely not. Rather, she encourages you to study Scripture so that you will be equipped in the "heat of the moment" to apply the appropriate Biblical response. The goal is that your child will gradually learn how to respond on his/her own, thereby living out the apostle Paul's prayer for the church in Phillipi, "That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ." (Phil. 1:9-10)

Recommendations:

*"Don't Make Me Count to Three!" by Ginger Plowman

*Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

*The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau

*The New Dare to Discipline by Dr. James Dobson

*Parenting by the Book by John Rosemond

Saving for a Rainy Day...

My two-year-old recently replied to my husband's proposition that he save his money for a rainy day with, "No Daddy, then it would get all wet!" Rainy days are inevitable and so is stir-craziness unless you get creative with how to spend them. Here are some rainy day activities for which you don't have to save any money!

1. Don't plan many activities at all. Don't we all wish for days amidst our busy schedules when we can have very little, or even nothing at all planned? Capitalize on this opportunity to stay dry and cozy inside and allow for hours of free-play, reading together in bed, pulling out old games and puzzles or whatever your kids enjoy.

2. Go to the mall. We have lived in several different cities now and even the smaller towns have malls with something exciting for the kids. Some are extremely kid-friendly with duck ponds and carousels and other might just have escalators and elevators. If nothing else, it's a covered place to allow your kids a venue to blow off some steam before heading back home.

3. Barnes and Noble. Every Barnes and Noble I've been to lately has a Thomas the Train train table and my boys love it! Play with trains, read books and sneak a coffee or hot chocolate from the bookstore cafe for yourself!

4. Go to the library. If you often bemoan the fact that you can't seem to carve enough reading time into your schedule, head to the library for a morning or afternoon surrounded by shelves and shelves of new books.

5. Daily Candy. Check out this website, http://www.dailycandy.com/all-cities/, for kid's activities in your city.

6. Bank of America's Museums on Us. If you have a Bank of America credit or check card, you can get free entry into many museums around the country. It only works on the first full weekend of every month, but it's definitely worth looking into. http://museums.bankofamerica.com/

5. Cook. What kid doesn't love to get messy in the kitchen and have a sweet treat afterwards? Pick a simple recipe - muffins, cookies, etc. - and cook together. I did this with my one-year-old last week and he ended up a floured mess, but we had so much fun. If your kids are old enough you could even try to get them to help with dinner!

6. Clean Together. This may sound crazy, but I've been amazed by how much my boys like cleaning, well using the cleaning tools anyway. You can make games out of it and hopefully instill an appreciation for keeping things tidy (haha).

7. Crafts for the Non-Crafty. I was so pleased when my child came home from preschool the other day with a craft. That's one reason why I send him - to get a chance to do things that I never think of doing with him. Here are some simple crafts that anyone can do! Finger paint, grab a paper bag and decorate with markers, cotton balls (bunny?), dried beans, cut pieces of gift wrap, ribbons, or whatever you have on hand. Grab various shaped objects - empty and rinsed out milk or oj cartons, toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, two paper plates stapled together, etc. and put dried beans in them to make musical instruments. Use foil and a rubber band to secure the ends of the rolls. Let the kids decorate them and then parade around the house.

Storytelling

Ever since my husband introduced storytelling to my son nine months ago, we have been in the business of making up new stories multiple times a day. The conversation usually goes something like this: "Mommy, can you tell me a story about me and Lightning McQueen?" Mommy, who is busy making dinner or grocery lists or doing the laundry stalls with, "Let's wait until Daddy gets home" or "I'll tell you after the meal." It's intimidating coming up with a story that will keep his interest (or mine) and not be so terrible that it will negatively affect his own storytelling skills down the road! If you've ever dealt with the same issues, or if you want to start storytelling to excite your child's imagination, do not fear! Here are some simple steps that can help you get started.

1. Stick to the simple story line structure to guide your thinking. Start with the intro - the scene, the characters, etc., then progress takes place (use words like first, so, then, next, etc. to propel the story forward into new and wondrous dimensions (trying to encourage you here)), problem, solution, HAPPY ENDING!

2. Keep it age appropriate. This probably goes without saying, but don't think that just because "we read it when we were kids" or "it's in Mother Goose books/Disney productions so it can't be that bad" is a legitimate reason to copy similar story lines. Hansel and Gretel seemed like such a classic until I remembered that they throw the witch in an oven at the end. That's not something I'm going to relate to my two-year-old!

3. Sneak education in when you can. You can tell stories about colors, shapes, numbers, family members or friends who live far away, animals, etc.. I just told my son a quick story tonight about a little boy (always the hero!) who was trying to get to the park and needed a ride. His options were three shapes and we tested each one (special treat: tonight we used props!) until we could find the best one to transport him there. A little lesson in shapes and all he thinks is that he's getting a good story (always a winner when the hero triumphs over adversity!).

4. Another favorite of ours is teaching him Bible passages through these stories. Our little boy, usually a supporter of the biblical hero in these, has found his way into the valley where David fought Goliath, the den where Daniel slept with the lions, the belly of the fish that housed Jonah for three days and the stable where Jesus was born. He learns these stories because when he's involved in the action, he's all ears all the way through!

5. Practice, practice, practice! With many, many opportunities to tell him stories throughout the day I'm finding that it's becoming easier and actually really fun for me, too. Just stick with it and know that you are bound to improve! They are also a very easy audience relatively speaking, and very forgiving if your story line takes a nose-dive shortly after the characters are introduced! If this happens, just laugh about it and ask them to help you determine the plot as you go (you can do this in a verbal fill-in-the-blank style or give three options and let them choose each time).

If you're having fun with it, they are bound to have fun with it too!

Birthday Time!

Let me paint a scenario for you. Your child is turning three in a couple of months. Up until this point, his birthday parties have consisted of bringing cupcakes (store-bought) to playgroup. You want to make this year special because this is the year when memories will really start to stick. And, if they don't, you'll have the pictures (or lack thereof) to prove it. When I think of birthdays, the extent of my thinking results in something like this: balloons, cake, ice cream, juice boxes, stickers for party gifts. While this is absolutely fine, and done quite often (because we can all agree that the company makes the party and when you get a group of two-year-olds or three-year-olds or what-have-you together you're bound to have free entertainment), you may seek great inspiration and if so the following might be helpful:

My sister-in-law, Sarah, is the queen. Here are some examples of parties that she's thrown for her little "lovebugs"...

"AC's first bday party was a crawfish boil (with 'love bug' rather than 'mud bug'/crawfish invitations) in our back yard! For her 2nd bday party, we did "Ponies at the Park" and rented a couple of ponies to give rides around the park." [Note: She delivered my nephew FOUR DAYS LATER so she let others do the work for her this round.] For AC's 3rd bday and Ross' 1st bday, we threw "Cirque du Wynne" and held a circus themed party with a face painter and balloon twister at the park. For AC's 4th bday and Ross' 2nd, we had a petting zoo (the bounce house and petting zoo had to be moved inside because of a huge rain storm.) We joked that it really turned into a zoo. We had the bounce house in our living room and animals in our garage. We'll continue on gender neutral themes as long as the children don't mind sharing a party!"

Sarah goes over the top, which is sometimes hard for people like me to swallow, but she loves it and is gifted to do it.

Other ideas:

*Pump it Up, Gymboree, Wonderwild or Little Gym. Those are nice bc they are turn-key.

*ZOO Once at the zoo, you can make it fancier by renting pavillions and paying for zoo keepers to introduce animals to the children. Or, you can keep it less expensive by using the public pavillions and setting up camp around the children's zoo and merry-go-round.

*COOL AQUARIUM STORE in town that holds bday parties - entertainment would be challenging, but it would be a fun venue.

*CHURCH GYM and had two actors dress up as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

*SPA PARTY for Eliza one year at my Mother's house. She found all these different pampering spa activities on the internet and turned each room into a different "treatment."

*LOCAL CHILDREN'S THEATER - there are children actors who bring the kids up on stage to sing to them at intermission.

You can get great ideas on-line - that's what I always do - for invitations, cupcake ideas, decoration ideas, etc. Just google the style of party that you'd like to throw and you'll get tons of ideas. If you don't have an idea, just google "children's birthday party ideas" to get you started.

Dreading Lunchtime?

If you're anything like me, 11am rolls around and I start to panic. I have a 2 1/2-year-old and an eleven-month-old and a fridge full of food, and yet I can't think of anything to fix for lunch. After months of dealing with this, I decided to consult the professionals - at least I hope they're professionals - for help.

I found one website, eatingwell.com, that was very helpful. Here are some of examples of lunch ideas:

HUMMUS (OR LOW-FAT SALAD DRESSING) AND VEGGIES

SMOOTHIES

MINI-QUICHES

MINI-PIZZAS

TUSCAN-STYLE TUNA SALAD

The most helpful tips/inspirations were the wrap. I usually don't think to buy a whole-wheat tortilla or pita and fill it with whatever we have on hand, from peanut butter and jelly to tuscan-style tuna salad.

Smoothies are fantastic, too. You can tell your child that it's "like ice cream" and you can add all kinds of healthy fruits, yogurt and even hide some veggies in there! I heard from a friend that smoothies mask the flavor of spinach, who knew?!

You can make the mini-pizzas yourself and feel the freedom to change up the ingredients every time. The "dough" can come in the form of an english muffin, pastry cup, toasted wheat bread cut out in little shapes (free-hand or cookie cutters). Start with tomato sauce or BBQ sauce and add pepperoni, cooked ground beef or turkey, shredded deli meat, chicken, cooked salmon, etc.. Then top with peppers, celery, onions, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, etc.. Finally top the scrumptious meal with cheese!