Our Top Picks of Fun Things to Do with The Kids While Visiting Boring Relatives

 Let's re-think what we are going to do with the children at the relatives' homes, shall we?  How about we bring along some fun stuff that everyone can participate in. 

You know the children will get bored pretty fast if you don't plan accordingly.  That's just too many hours in a room seated around boring adults--let's all have some fun! 

Here are our top picks. Your purchase helps maintain this blog. Click on each image to learn more and happy holidays! 

          

KIDS Family Fun Summer Fun Activity GARDENING ~ DIY Planting Fun Ideas f...

Family Activities Don't Have to Cost Money Just Your Time

There are a many books, discussions and video about what to do with the family. Some people take the advice in stride, others are overwhelmed by all the information and still others don't care much at all about family activities. There are those many of us are already familiar. You know the ones where you visit grandma, grandpa and relatives. However, there are other family activities that don't require visiting anyone or spending much if any money.

Take walk around the local neighborhood.

Sometimes we are so busy going in and out of the neighborhood that we don't take the time to really look at our community, nature, and speak to neighbors. Take frequent strolls around the neighborhood and point out things along the way to your child. Ask about the color, shape, and texture. If you have a faith, use this time to teach your child about the things people didn't create like the sky, wind, trees, flowers and more. If you have older children, take the time to talk to them about life experiences and ask how they feel about the way things are going in their lives, what their plans are in the future, and what has been happening lately with their friends.

Draw pictures with your children.

Little ones enjoy learning new things. Utilize this time to show them how to make a face, paint, or illustrate something very unique. If you have experience using various software programs, take the time to teach your older ones how to make some interesting creative pieces.

Invite them to help you spring clean.

Going through old things is a great way to get children involved in family history. Tell the little ones a few stories while holding up your keepsakes while allowing them to look at the items closely. You can explain why some things are worth keeping and why other things you rather do away with. Show your older children how to make signs to sell your old wares, teach them how to list on eBay, or Twitter the stuff you are trying to sell.

List more interesting activities to do with your family that cost nothing but your time. Note your plans on a calendar and stick to them.

10 Cheap Family Activities For Every Parent

If you're looking for family activities to do with your children, and don't want them to cost a fortune, then why not consider some of these exciting things you can do.

1. Just spending time with your children playing board games, or dressing up, or reading with them, will be very rewarding. Perhaps you don't get the chance to spend as much time with your children as you'd like to, so why not do something they like doing?

2. Going for walks can be great exercise for all the family, as well as fun and educational. Why not go to the countryside and see what wildlife you can see, or find out more about the area where you live, or put on your wellies and go out in the rain, and jump in some puddles or find some mud to play in!

3. Maybe your children love going to the park, so why not take them more often? You could take a football or a frisby, as well as playing on the slide and swings. Letting your children run around with others their age is a great way for them to make new friends, and also to let off steam.

4. Your children might benefit from going to museums and art galleries, especially if they're studying something specific in history or art at school. You could help them learn more about a certain period of time, or artist, and help them with their schoolwork at the same time. You might enjoy visiting a museum or gallery you haven't been to in a while too.

5. Are your children too young to appreciate your favourite sports? Why not see if they'd like to go to a football or rugby match, or maybe they've been inspired by watching tennis or motor racing on TV.

6. Does your gym have children's classes? Remember that if you don't take your health seriously, and watch what you eat, you can't be surprised if you're children are unhealthy. Instead of watching TV, or spending time on the computer, why not suggest going for a bike ride, or swimming?

7. Getting your children interested in cooking from an early age, can promote healthy eating, and ensure that they understand the importance of eating good quality fresh produce, and get their five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. If you eat a lot of fast food, or unhealthy snacks, your children are likely to want to as well.

8. Don't forget to encourage your children to spend time with their friends. Maybe your children could invite a couple of friends round for tea, or to play. Why not see if you can become friendly with their parents, and they might repay the favour?

9. An afternoon doing arts and crafts is a great way to spend time with your children. Why not encourage them to be creative and artistic? Perhaps they'll enjoy colouring pictures, or making collages, or following instructions to make a model, or create something useful and practical.

10. Gardening can be fun for all the family, so if you've got green fingers, why not let your children help you with your gardening ideas and plans? They could have their own area of the garden, or plant pots, and grow their own seeds, and see how they do.

Now you know what sort of things you can doe with your children, and that they don't have to be expensive, what other family activities can you think of?

Discover a wide range of Family Activities you can do with your children, and amazing seasonal Gardening Ideas to make the most of your garden. If you're a parent, then you'll love Candis magazine. Find out more at Candis.co.uk today, and subscribe online. You'll be glad you did.

Make the Time for Your Children Even if It Hurts

In the past you use to read books to your children, take them to various events, and allow them to have fun in the kitchen with you, but what happened? You stopped. You grew weary of breaking up fights, became exhausted with everything else you had to do for them, and much, much more! You really want to make the time for them, but every time you get ready to, you pull back. Why?

I thought about this question myself during the first few days of winter break. I hadn't forgotten about the past accidents I had to clean up, because I let them paint or the flour that spilled on the countertop. But I fought my negative thinking and one day I just awoke with a plan. I made myself get involved with them at least for a few hours. There would be no video game playing, no television watching, and no talking on the phone. We would connect daily even if it meant I had to gather all four boys around the table and just fire questions at them for a half an hour. It worked! I committed to this daily during all but three days of winter break.

What started out as a few minutes of time assisting the children with projects I planned for them with some input from them, ended up being hours of activities. Some of which kept them so busy that you would have never known there were four boys in the house. I was happy and relieved. I really wanted to spend time with them, but I hadn't quite figured out in the beginning "the what" and "when."

Sometimes we spend too much time planning and not enough time doing. When you notice that you aren't doing much (like surfing the net and watching YouTube video after YouTube video,) shut the computer down. Walk over to your son or daughter and just ask them about their day. Think about something you haven't done with them in awhile then start getting your clothes on, grab a coat, put on your shoes and meet them at the door.

Life is too short, busy is just another excuse. Make the time for your children even if it hurts.

Nicholl McGuire
http://www.youtube.com/nmenterprise7

Best Places to Shop for Children's Stuff

Hello, lately I have been all over the Internet searching for the best places to buy everything from Sony ps 3 games to pajamas for the children, and the following is what I came up with...

Magic Kids & Company www.magickidsusa.com

If you aren't particular about names, although there are some bran name items, and are more interested in price and selection, then go to this site. What you will find is both boys and girls clothes from all categories from newborn to 8 years of age. I have paid as little as $2 for a quality sleeper for my baby and as much as $10 for a jump suit for my bigger boys. Now that is a steal! Also, if you are one of those folks who love flea markets (also known as swap meets) then may I suggest you start your own weekend business by purchasing a lot of clothes in advance and selling them to market-goers?

Amazon.com

Those gaming systems and video games to go along with them are too expensive in brick and mortar stores and the corny games (dare I say it) are what is on sale. Forget about them! Amazon has hundreds of private sellers like you and I selling new and pre-owned games, you might as well check for your titles there before anywhere else!

Walmart.com

Now you are just shopping the entire site for your goods --- no way! Go straight to the clearance rack online. Type in "clearance" and you will find a host of items on the clearance rack in all categories. Now let's say you don't see anything worthwhile on Monday, because most of the items were out of stock from the weekend, don't worry wait a day or two and come back, you just might get lucky!

Upromise.com

Now Upromise has a database that includes many of the on and offline retailers that you may be familiar. If you have an account with them, you might as well use it so that your children gain some money in their college savings account for what you bought.

Etoys.com

I was surprised! But I really liked there selection for toys and the prices were reasonable. They are also listed in Upromise as well as the other stores mentioned so as I said before you might as well gain some money back on your purchase.

Now stores I was very disappointed in this year were as follows:

Toys R Us because I noticed online that many of the toys I wanted I had to pay shipping, so they didn't make any money off of me this year. You either have free shipping or you don't!

Sears wasn't happy with their price on clothing and the selction of toys were not unique enough for my taste. Go to the brick and mortar store and you might do better on the clearance rack in the back!

JcPenny same thing as I said about Sears.

Target had a great selection of toys, many I hadn't seen offline, but $20 plus for many. I don't think so, not for a baby or a toddler who will just look at it and on to something else!

Gap had some very nice clothes for the young men, but was it just me...I don't know but I wasn't impressed with some of the styles and could we say free shipping?

Old Navy good for the teens and young adults not good for the little ones. They grow entirely too fast to pay more than $10 on anything!

Burlington Coat Factory's sister site for Babies what's it called again? Not happy with the older children's line of clothing, but for a newborn you might be pleasantly surprised.

Kmart you would do better going inside their brick and mortar store. I wasn't impressed with the price of the toys or the clothes online. You would do far better with children's clothes dealing with private sellers and wholesale companies.

Kb Toys saves their best toys and prices for their retail stores, so don't bother shopping online. I saw a significant price difference between what I saw on the Internet and in the store fliers, so if you can shop their brick and mortar store.

Just remember if you do any shopping online check using Upromise first and also consider Paypal for their buy now pay later system -- definitely useful for those items you simply forgot to buy for others!

Written by Nicholl McGuire http://nichollmcguire.blogspot.com

Why Your Child Suddenly Doesn't Like School

So you are excited and nervous, next year your child will be going to Kindergarten! However, when you talked to him or her they tell you, "Mommy and Daddy I don't want to go to school!"

What happened? Wasn't it just a few months ago they said they wanted to go to school? The tips preceding this will help you find out why the change in attitude and what you need to do to get them excited again about school.

Did you change daycares or caretakers? Sometimes when you change the child's environment the people around them may not be enriching your child's mind or encouraging him or her when they make strides in their development. Is there a bigger child bullying him or her? Are their children making fun of them? Is he or she spending a lot of time playing alone? Find out what is going on at their pre-school.

Have you recently divorced or separated from the child's mother or father? If so, he or she may not want to go through another separation by being apart from you. Going to school may make them feel as if he or she is alone. Talk with your child's teacher about what you have noticed with your son or daughter. He or she may have some great ideas to help you with your child's behavior.

Are there negative images, people, places, or things around your child? Television, radio, and music can play a significant part in how a child views his or her world. Pay close attention whether what they are seeing or hearing is affecting their behavior.

Do they have a bedtime schedule? As crazy as it may seem, not getting enough sleep can make anyone's behavior distorted. He or she may have had bad dreams; for example, about other children, riding a school bus, or sitting in a classroom.

Have you recently had a new baby? Sibling jealousy is very real. Preschoolers can be envious of newborns. They may do or say negative things to get attention.

Has someone recently become ill or died? Depending on how close they were to the family member or friend, they may not want to attend school because they fear that you will leave them too.

Once you have determined why your child has had a change of heart about attending school, make a list of things you can do to make school fun again. Think of things you did or didn't do to promote education. Did you read to your child? Take them to fun places where other children were present? Did you let them visit a school? Show fun videotapes on going to school? When your child talks or hears about school, does your family say positive things about it?

Everyone will need to be a part of this intervention to get your child to like school again. Find workbooks, coloring books, and crafts that will promote early learning. Don't stop encouraging your child to want to learn, and interact with other children. However, if school is nearing and you have done everything consistently and got others involved to encourage your child, you may want to have he or she see a child therapist. They may be able to uncover some things happening with your child that you may have overlooked.

For more work by Nicholl McGuire, see http://whenmotherscry.blogspot.com 

Sound Advice To Help You Save Now For Your Childs Education Using An Education IRA!

This investment retirement account (IRA) is useful to you as an investor to understand because it may be a good way for you to save for your kid’s education AND save on taxes. These plans are now called Coverdell Education Savings Accounts in honor of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell. Individuals can make annual contributions of up to $2,000 per child into an account that's exclusively for helping to pay higher education costs. The money contributed to a Coverdell account doesn't count against the $3,000 ($3,500 if 50 and older) annual total individuals may contribute to their combined personal individual IRAs.

The earnings and withdrawals from a Coverdell account are tax-free, but you can't deduct the contributions from your income tax because the account is for the benefit of the child, not the contributor. This is great for parents who are good savers and investors who want to make an annual tax-saving contribution that they can invest in the stock market toward the education of a studious and responsible child. In addition, if your child received a Coverdell ESA distribution, you now can also claim Hope Scholarship or Lifetime Learning credits. Just make sure you don't use Coverdell money to pay for the same expenses you use to claim an education credit.

The beneficiary (your child) of the education IRA must withdraw the funds by age 30 if they don’t go to college and pay taxes and penalties on it. However, the account can be transferred to a sibling or the beneficiary's child if they don’t pursue a higher academic degree or use it all.

Once you have the account open you can use the stock market to help finance your child’s education selling the stock at a high price after you have bought it at a low price using the techniques that I teach you in my course “The Blue-Collar Base Bonanza – What the insiders [definitely] don’t want you to know!”.

About the Author
Dr. Scott Brown, Ph.D., the Wallet Doctor, is a successful investor. Dr. Brown holds a Ph.D. in finance. The Wallet Doctor is sought after for investment advice and coaching. For more information visit Dr. Brown’s site at http://www.BonanzaBase.com or sign up for his investment tips at http://www.WalletDoctor.com

Child Sexual Abuse - Signs And Symptoms

Sexual abuse has affected millions of children throughout the world. Child sexual abuse is defined as: An adult using a child for sexual purposes. This can be in the form of child pornography, submitting children to look at pornography, fondling, touching, kissing, sodomy, exposing oneself to a child, rape, oral sex, intercourse, or having the child touch the adult. All children will react differently to this type of trauma. There is no one single identifiable sign or symptom that all children will have. They may have very subtle symptoms or they may have very pronounced symptoms. I have gathered a list of symptoms that children of sexual abuse are often seen to have.

Bedwetting (after being potty trained)

Waking up in the night screaming, nightmares or other sleeping problems

Showing an unusual fear of certain people, places or things

A reluctance to be with a certain person

Loss of appetite or trouble eating

Fear of the bathroom

Excessive crying

Mood changes, anger outbursts or withdrawal or fear

Becomes worried when clothing is removed

Wearing layers of clothing

Age inappropriate knowledge of sex

Imitating sexual acts with other children or toys, such as dolls

Withdrawing from activities they used to be involved in

Difficulty walking or sitting

Complains of pain with urination or bowel movement

Bleeding from the genital area or anus

Academic problems

Lowered self esteem

Symptoms of PTSD such as panic attacks

Somatic complaints

Regression of behavior

Having new words for private body parts

Excessive masturbation

These are all symptoms of child sexual abuse. One common feeling I have found in working with children and adolescents, is guilt. Children usually feel guilt over the abuse that occurred. It is important to remember that under no circumstance is a child ever responsible for what happened to them. It is crucial that “re- victimization” does not happen. Some ways a child can be re- victimized is by saying to the child:

“Uncle Joey, or Grandpa Bob would never do that to you, why are you lying?”

“It couldn’t of been that bad, or you would have told me sooner”

Child sexual abuse victims usually carry this trauma with them for the rest of their lives. Some children as they begin to get older will start using drugs, get into relationships with others who are abusive, see themselves as “damaged goods” and begin acting out sexually. Engage is self mutilation, such as cutting behaviors. Some children gain weight or don’t take care of themselves so they look “unattractive” to others.

There is hope. Finding the proper treatment for past trauma can be influential on how they cope with this as an adult. Rape crisis centers are usually available in most states. There is also a national rape crisis center. They are a full service agency that addresses prevention, education, crisis intervention, counseling and advocacy. They work with both children and adults. There is also a 24 hour hotline available at the national rape crisis center, for parents or victims of sexual abuse.

About the Author
Wendy McLellan is a licensed mental health and substance abuse counselor, with more than sixteen years of experience. She has recently devoted time to the efforts of http://www.safecomputerkids.com in their goal to provide parental internet safety tools and resources to the public.

Family Fun Activities: Why Family Entertainment Is Important For Your Family

Do you spend much time considering the issue of family entertainment? When parents compare notes and questions about parenting, the issue of entertainment rarely comes up. After all, how can family fun compare with such important issues as health, safety, values, nutrition, and education? But family fun is an important issue for parents for three reasons.

First, it is important to remember that family bonds are not born in the delivery room. Family bonds have to be forged and strengthened over time. Family fun is a great way to build family bonds by spending time together. While you cannot plan an activity specifically just to create a better relationship with your children you can improve your relationship through a family fun activity.

Second, the best way to teach your children something new or help them master a new skill is through fun. No one, and especially not kids, likes learning by listening to a boring lecture but if you can take your children to a location that allows you to teach them something about science, history, or the world then you will be increasing their knowledge based. Fun can be educational as well as entertaining. Remember, that there are all kinds of fun scientific concepts as well as world knowledge that can be learned outside of museums.

Family fun activities are also important for building those lasting memories of their childhood that children will carry into adulthood and out of your home. What stories do you want your children to be able to tell their children? What memories do you want your children to have? Happy childhood memories can help children with self esteem and overcome challenges in the future. Giving your children those happy childhood memories will help provide a solid foundation to become the people you want them to be as adults.

Spending time, energy and money focusing on family fun activities is a worthwhile activity for every parent because it helps strengthen family bonds, provides opportunities for learning, and creates lasting memories. Keep that in mind the next time you decide family entertainment is not a high priority.

About the Author
Deanna Mascle shares more Family Fun Activities and Family Entertainment Tips at http://familyfunforyou.com