More Fun Chores For Toddlers

If you missed last week’s introduction to fun chores for toddlers (part 1), go check it out now before reading on!

• Give your child a dust cloth and have him dust all the tables. You can even make a homemade, non-toxic cleaning spray of vinegar and water for him to use.
• If he spills his drink on the floor or table, have him help you wipe it up.
• Teach him to place dirty dishes into the sink. If he can’t reach, you can leave a step stool nearby that he can bring to the sink or you can teach him to at least places all dishes in a pile near the sink.
• Place a small cup into the pet food container and have him scoop food into the pet bowl.
• Teach him how to water houseplants and pick up any fallen plant leaves and throw them away (any toxic plants should be kept out of the reach of children).

Children can learn very early on to clean up after themselves. Have your child place his dirty clothes in a hamper in his closet or the laundry room. When he is finished playing with his toys have him put them in a basket in his room or the den. Teach him that he will not be allowed to take out another activity until the first one is properly put away.

After you make his bed, have him put the pillow in place along with any stuffed animals. It is never too early to start teaching your child about the importance of being tidy and responsibility. Having him do chores at a young age will help prepare him for added responsibility down the road.

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday here.

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• Family Friday: How to Choose a Preschool
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Don’t let a rainy day put a damper on your family fun. Instead, take advantage of the lack of sun and explore some creative activities with the kids. The possibilities are endless and you are limited only by your imagination.

Keeping Kids Entertained on Rainy Days

Rainy days are a great opportunity to let kids really be creative. Help them make a fort or clubhouse out of furniture cushions, sheets and blankets, old boxes, etc.

In the garage I keep some old refrigerator boxes that I picked up at a local appliance store. On rainy days I’ll bring some inside and let the kids decorate them with crayons and markers. They will spend hours designing them, then connect them and make tunnels, forts, etc.

If you have a small tent, let the kids set it up in the house and then help them make stovetop or microwave smores for their camp out.

If you don’t have a tent, let them create their own out of blankets and household items. Have everyone get into comfy pajamas, turn down the lights, make a big bowl of popcorn and settle in for a movie night.

Take a newspaper and roll up individual pieces into balls. Divide them evenly and have an indoor snowball fight.

Set up a treasure hunt, give each child a list of what items need to be found after you carefully hide them.

Start up a game of charades.

Have an indoor picnic or tea party on the living room floor. Help them bake some brownies or cupcakes.

Arts and Crafts Projects for Rainy Days

Arts and crafts are excellent rainy day activities. Aside from the basics such as coloring and painting, be creative:

• Spray some shaving cream on the kitchen tables and let the kids create fun shapes in the foam.
• Make some chocolate pudding and let the kids finger paint on a paper plate with it, getting to lick their fingers and the plate clean when they are finished.
• Let the kids help you make home-made play dough with flour and water. Make home made ice cream with ziploc bags, milk and ice.
• Make a sock puppet family.
• Make paper airplanes and then fly them through the house.

The possibilities are limitless. Rainy days activities for kids can be a great opportunity for kids to get back to basics and for families to spend some quality time together.

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday here.

Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomemakerBarbi.com. (If your link was deleted, email us.)

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• Family Friday: Entertaining Kids Without TV & Video Games (Pt 2)
• Family Friday: Entertaining Kids Without TV & Video Games (Pt 1)
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• Family Friday: Summer Vacation Tips From a Mom of Four

Entertaining kids on a rainy day with physical activity is a breeze when you have some creative ideas up your sleeve.  Print out this list now and save it for a rainy day!

Don’t think that just because the kids can’t run around in the yard they will not be able to get in their daily dose of physical activity. There are many indoor activities for kids that will get them moving and get their heart rate up.

Editor’s Note: If you’re like me, you need your kids to get some physical exercise during the day to keep from getting stir crazy and to allow them to be tired enough for their naps and bedtime. 

Physical Acitivities for Kids on Rainy Days

1.  Sports in the garage.  If you have an uncluttered basement or garage, let the kids go wild playing handball, racquetball or any other activity that keeps them moving in place.

2.  Exercise in the kitchen.  Even in your den or kitchen you can move the chairs aside and make room for some hula hoops and jump ropes.

3. Kids’ exercise DVDs. Kids’ exercise DVDs are good to get them jumping and moving their bodies.

4.  Crazy living room dance party.  Just playing loud music and having them dance up a storm will help release built up energy.

5.  Hide and seek.  Play a game of hide and go seek all over the house to get some movement in.

6.  Obstacle course.  Set up an obstacle course using household items (pillows, chairs, etc.).

7.  Home funhouse.  Face 2 chairs across from each other and cover with pillows to create a tunnel to crawl under, line up phone books and step stools for them to climb on, turn pots upside down and let them make their way through by balancing on them.

8.  Sock racing.  Have slip and slide sock races down the hallway.

What are your best fun physical activities for kids on rainy days?  Let us know in the comments!

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday here.

Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomemakerBarbi.com. (If your link was deleted, email us.)

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Last night we went house hunting during a nice evening drive.  I got dressed up in a pretty summer dress, high heeled sandals and did up my hair. I figured that my husband and I don’t go out on many dates, and even a drive to look at homes could be a mini date for us (even though we had the kids in the car). 

I thought I’d give my hubby an excuse to want to take me out of the house more often- why not?  This is one occasion, however, that I wish I had NOT been dressed up. 

Being the frugal mom that I am, I always pack snacks when we’re going on a car ride. I packed a drink for everyone and a little snack, including a sippy cup of milk for our son, Truett.  All was going fine as our daughter, Hannah (aka London Ice), fed Truett his Ritz Bitz cracker sandwiches and milk.  We cruised through town looking at houses for sale. 

Then suddenly, Truett had a half cough/half laugh, with a weird gurgling sound at the end.  We had just pulled into a cul de sac and spotted a nice condo for sale when we heard the strange sound. Hannah said, “That sounded weird,” and I said, “That sounded like puke!”  We all laughed, and I turned my head to look at Truett. 

Just then, a scene that looked more appropriate to be shown in The Exorcist than our car unfolded right before my eyes.  As I looked on, the largest projectile vomit I have ever seen in my life was expectorated from my poor toddler’s mouth!  My daughter ducked toward the window as if in slow motion, and my husband pulled the car over instantly.   

In front of some unsuspecting stranger’s house, we quickly exited the car to start damage control!  Poor Truett, who hasn’t thrown up since he was a baby, had no idea what just happened and was screaming.  The car was covered in, let’s just say stuff, which was far too gross to describe here.  Thank goodness we had just filled his stomach with food and drink, right? 

No spot in the back seat of the car was left unsoiled, including the entire carseat.  Thankfully I had a mini pack of diaper wipes which were enough to clean off Truett’s skin, but for the rest there was no cleaning that could fix what had just happened!

We quickly high-tailed it home, where we stripped the boy down to his diaper in the driveway and my husband hosed out the carseat.  Thank goodness we happened to be testing out a new product from Febreze at the time, the Febreze Fabric Refresher, which went to work on the foul stench of curdled milk which permeated our car!  (You can read my full review of Febreze Fabric Refresher here, which you now understand why I was motivated to write today.)

How to Clean Up Vomit

You knew we wouldn’t leave you hanging without the specifics of how to clean up the stuff!  Here are helpful links that will help you clean up life’s unexpected expectorations:

• How to Remove Vomit From a Car Interior
• Video: Stain Removal Tips- How to Clean Vomit & Urine Out of Car Upholstery
• How to Clean Vomit Out of a Carseat

It must have been a funny sight to the people that lived in those houses to see a gussied up woman in heels hauling a child out of the car covered in vomit.  Let’s just say, it got on us all.  I’ll just add this to the memory book of all the times my husband and I have been glad we chose the glamour of being parents, which – despite all of its drawbacks- is really the best!

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Is your little bundle of joy now big enough and ready to face the challenges of a preschool?  Your child’s educational future depends a lot on this initial learning stage (whether you teach preschool at home or send them to a preschool outside the home), hence it important that you know how to choose a preschool.

You will first need to write down all your requirements for a preschool with your spouse, especially in terms of schedules, medical and food policies, desired philosophy of teaching, and the maximum distance it can be located from your house or office.

Once you have your list of requirements ready, read through our list of topics and questions to consider below.  These should  help you to have quality information when it’s time to choose a preschool for your child.

How to Choose a Preschool for Your Child

1.  Teacher to Child Ratio.  What is the teacher to child ratio in the preschool? The policy on this ratio may be different across the states. If the ratio is very small, such as 1:3, your child will get a lot of personal attention; however, he or she will have only a limited number of playmates. A higher ratio is fine if the teacher’s aides are utilized and your child will be well looked after.

2.  Toys and Tools.  What are the tools and toys being used by the preschool for teaching? How often are the toys cleaned and how are they maintained?  How often are they replenished?  It is important that the preschool buys the latest puzzles, jigsaws and other such toys which are instrumental in your child’s learning, and is on top of current safety recalls.

3.  Communication.  How will the school communicate with you about the progress for your child and bring up any issues they might be concerned about? Do they want parents to be involved in the teaching process and how? Check the policy of the school; some schools provide a weekly or monthly status, while others have conferences or an open door policy for parents.

4.  Food.  Is food served at the school? If yes, check the menu and decide whether it is nutritional and healthy for your child. If food is not served by the school, then check how they would be handling the food you send for your child. Do they require only cold foods or don’t mind if leftovers needs to be warmed up?

5.  Curriculum.  What are the educational guidelines followed by the school? Do they follow the philosophy such as learning by doing or more traditional learning methods of book learning and instructions? To what extent will your child be allowed to make choices about what to learn and when?

6.  Safety and Illness.  What are the safety and sick child policies of the school? Do they ask the parent to pick up the child when sick in order to prevent other kids from getting sick? Do they have a doctor or nurse handy just in case a child falls ill?

You will get a fair idea how to choose an ideal preschool by answering these questions. Once you have short listed the schools in your area, it’s best to plan a visit to each of these schools.  Talk to the teachers or the director personally, rather than relying on information you collected from other means, and get a feel for if the preschool is a good fit for your child.

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday here.

Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomemakerBarbi.com. (If your link was deleted, email us.)

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When kids share rooms, a family can benefit in many ways.  But it’s not as easy as putting them in a room and having everything go perfectly… when your children are sharing bedrooms, you can run into some difficulties as well.  These mom tips for kids sharing a bedroom will help you to work through some of the possible problems to make the best of the situation!

Kids sharing a bedroom is good in a lot of ways.  It can be a great opportunity for kids to bond with each other, as well as learning to share space and having to work through compromises and conflict resolution.  Having your kids share bedrooms can also be helpful on your family budget, especially if you have a large family but the budget for a small house. 

On the other hand, when kids share a room, it can also lead to constant squabbles and you will need to intervene to give guidance from time to time. Here are some mom tips to help you set up a shared bedroom for the kids.

Mom Tips for Setting Up a Shared Kids’ Bedroom

Since the kids are going to share the room, they should at least be given the opportunity to select the color and décor of their side of the room. This way they feel they have designed their own side and be proud of it, while not interfering with the other’s section of the room.

Have room rules finalized with the kids and put them up somewhere in the room. Some examples of room rules can be:

• Knock before entering the room, but don’t lock the door unless it’s necessary.
• Don’t mess with each other’s things.
• Be tidy and don’t give the other a chance to complain about your messes.
• Ask for permission before using the sibling’s things.
• Always return borrowed things in time and in good shape.
• Ask before bringing friends into the room.

These rules will bring a certain amount of self-discipline to the children, as they’ll be able to police themselves and each other to make sure the rules are followed.

Give each kid a special area or something like a basket for storing their secret treasures. Instead of finding their things all over the place, if you give them a defined location they will make sure that they place important things only here.

Give them each a responsibility regarding the maintaining and cleaning up of the room, such as making the beds, picking up their dirty clothes and putting them in the laundry, etc. Switch the responsibilities from time to time, or make it so they each maintain their own sides.

Intervene when the children have issues, but only to teach them methods to constructively figure out solutions themselves. Explain to them the importance of respecting each other’s likes and dislikes and remind them of the golden rule.

Give each child a desk (if possible) and an area in the room where they can study, read or do other solitary activities they wish. Don’t push them to do all activities together just because they are sharing a room. Let them choose their own schedules (with your approval, of course), but let them have a say too.

If you have your kids share rooms, set up a good environment, and provide necessary guidance every now and then, the kids will learn to enjoy each other’s company and how to work through difficulties.  This can be a valuable experience before having to share a dorm room in college, or even for learning to live with a spouse or roommate as an adult later in life.

Kids’ bedroom photo of Sigrid and Sverre by Mads Boedker .

Family Friday: Time to Share!

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Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomemakerBarbi.com. (If your link was deleted, email us.)

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It’s summer time again, and the kids are eager to go play fun outdoor games and run around in the sun. It’s also the best time to learn new games and spend their energies on the right activities. These are some fun free outdoor games for kids to play which don’t require you to buy any special equipment or game supplies.

Nothing makes a happy parent like free summer activities to keep the kids busy during summer vacation!

4 Fun Free Outdoor Games for Kids

1.  Name It.  This is a fun as well as educational game for children. All you need is a rubber ball to play.  Ask the children to make a circle. Hand the ball to one of the children and ask him to bounce the ball to another kid while naming a category. He has to name any category (such as flowers) and the kid who has caught ball will have to quickly name a type of flower, such as roses. Then he bounces the ball to another child. 

If a kid is not able to name something from the category in his turn, he is out of the circle. The game continues until all the kids are out except one, who is declared the winner.

2.  Simon Says.  One of the kids is chosen to be “Simon”, the kid who gives directions. The others form a circle around him.  Simon then calls out an action for the others to follow, after saying “Simon Says”. It can be any action such as “Simon says touch your right hand to your left foot 10 times”, “Simon says walk ten steps to the right and ten steps to the left’. Sometimes Simon will give a direction without saying “Simon says” first.  The kids that do the action anyway are out of the circle. The game continues until the Simon and one more kid are the only remaining members. The last child will then go on to take on the role of Simon.

3.  Nature Hunt or Outdoor Scavenger Hunt. This is a great activity for kids in the summer time. Give them a list of things which they need to collect from outdoors. The list can include things like a flower of a certain color, a leaf, a seed, a feather and whatever else you can think of. Give them a time limit and check their items found against the list when they’ve finished.  The child who found the most items on the list is the winner.

4.  Blind man’s bluff in nature.  The traditional blind man’s bluff is a great game as one of the outside games to play for kids. In this case, the kid who is blindfolded will be given things from nature, such a twig or a flower which he has to identify by touching and smelling.

It’s important for kids to spend the summer time well playing fun outside games which let them use their imagination and give mom a little peace and quiet in the house!

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday here.

Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomemakerBarbi.com . (If your link was deleted, email us.)

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This morning I read the book Guide to Pirate Parenting: Why you Should Raise Your Kids As Pirates, and 101 Tips on How to Do It by Tim Bete.   

Guide to Pirate Parenting was re-released after it was named Humor Book of the Year finalist.  We frequently get asked to review women’s interest and parenting-related books.  The name was catchy, the picture was funny, and we love parenting material, and so we decided to give it a review.

If you’ve heard of this book around the parenting circles or been thinking of buying it, here’s the rundown.

The Short Version

The Guide to Pirate Parenting is a humor book, not a non-fiction reference book on parenting.  Yes, buy it if you want a good laugh and/or are a big fan of pirates in general (Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain Jack Sparrow, etc.).  Buy it if your husband always wanted to be a pirate but never realized his dream.  Do not buy this book for new parents who are expecting real parenting material or information for raising children! 

Dads will love this book (especially the part about turning the family minivan into a pirate ship).  Kids from preschoolers through tweens will roar with laughter if it’s read aloud.  Most moms (if anything like me) will occasionally get a chuckle and feel very afraid for people who take this book’s instructions literally!

Synopsis

The name and author.  Above the graphic on the cover are the words “Cap’n Billy “The Butcher” MacDougall’s” Guide to Pirate Parenting. In the Introduction, author Tim Bete describes how he met “Cap’n Billy”, a real live pirate. The pirate told Bete his life story and convinced him to write a book teaching parents to raise their children as pirates.  His reasoning was that there weren’t enough pirates in the world anymore!  Since this book comes from a humor columnist, I can only assume that Cap’n Billy is a fictional character, but there is no indication of whether this is so.

Guide to Pirate Parenting:
Why You Should Raise Your Kids as Pirates and 101 Tips on How to Do It.
by Tim Bete.
Publisher: Cold Tree Press
123 pages
Buy at Amazon for $11.01. Caveat: The author is a parenting writer, with published work in Atlanta Parent, Big Apple Parent, Northwest Family, and more. However, this book is purely humor and comedy, and should not be taken as real parenting instruction on how to care for kids.

Bete describes his assumption that dads will love the idea of raising kids as pirates and moms will be confused, mainly because of the difference in their chromosomes.  When I got this book, my husband actually read the entire introduction aloud, and I have to say that I laughed about it more than he did!

Guide to Pirate Parenting is filled with funny pirate versions of nursery rhymes, bedtime stories, children’s songs, and more that are sure to get a smile.  There are also checklists at the end of every chapter so that you can check on the progress of your child’s conversion to a pirate. 

Funny Excerpts From Guide to Pirate Parenting:

“Ask potential babysitters the following questions: what is the largest mutiny you have quelled?  Can you tie any of these knots?  Most importantly, can you untie these knots of my children tie you up using them?  Be clear regarding what is expected of the babysitter and whether you plan to ever return. ”

“Do you have any recipes for cute pirate birthday cakes with little ships on top?  No, you have this book confused with Martha Stewart Parenting.”

“Fighting a bedtime battle is no different than fighting a battle at sea.  First tell your child to surrender or “prepared to be boarded.” If he resists, take out a wooden paddle and “board his bottom” until he’s willing to go to bed.”

All in all, the Guide to Pirate Parenting is a funny book and definitely a good read for family time if you have kids and spouses that will get the jokes (instead of taking everything at face value).  For extra family fun, let your kids dress up in their pirate Halloween costumes before you read a chapter for the night!

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My results said I am a “Mentor: Mentors Guide by Asking Questions”.  The funniest thing about this result is that I’m always asking my daughter, “What would be a good question to ask to help find a better solution?”!  In my case, the quiz was dead on. 

You can take the parenting style quiz for yourself below and let us know in the comments what your style was and if you agree with the results.  Have fun!

Thanks to DreamBox Learning for the great quiz!

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This week I have been dealing with a sick child. Thankfully it’s nothing serious, but it is enough to keep her from being up and about doing her normal activities. I have been chief nurse, entertainment director, snack “bringer” and comfort giver. Times like this cause me to rack my brain for ways to keep my kids entertained while they are temporarily relegated to the couch or bed. Here is a list of ten ideas that are working for us.

10 Ways to Entertain a Sick Child

1. Reading books. Since my children are a little older, they can read books to themselves. But somehow, when they’re ill, they seem to enjoy my reading to them. We already have a normal bedtime routine in place where I read aloud to each girl from a certain book.

When they’re sick, I’ll often read a couple of extra chapters from those special books in the middle of the day, which they think is a treat. Reading through a book of jokes might be a change of pace; your child could even memorize a couple to try out on their friends when they get well.

2. Videos/DVDs. What helps me with this one is that my girls are normally very limited in the amount of time they are allowed to spend watching movies. Therefore, when they are sick, they think it is a real treat to be allowed one (or two!) movies a day. This is a good time to pull out a new one if you have it in hiding or ask someone to stop and pick up a fresh supply from the library or video store.

3. Games. This is a great time to pull out board games or card games that the two of you can sit and play together. While we attempt to do this as a regular activity at our house, it’s a pastime that sometimes gets forgotten. Pulling a small table up to the side of the couch or bed also makes a perfect place to do a puzzle together.

4. Art. Coloring books are great for younger children, maybe to be used with special markers or stickers. Older children may enjoy word search books or crossword puzzles. Again, doing them together makes it more fun.

5. CDs. We like listening to little stories on CDs; cheerful music CDs are fun as well. Trying out a variety of books on tape, with just the audio or with the read-along books, can help pass the time.

6. Small magnetic toys. We have several sets of magnetic paper dolls that can be dressed up and played with as a quiet activity. Other small magnetic toys or letter sets could be put on a large cookie sheet and placed on your child’s lap. MagnaDoodles are another toy my girls enjoy during these times.

7. Simple Crafts. I would choose neat and easy things to do, maybe stringing beads to make necklaces or easy cut and paste activities.

8. Handheld games. While some of these may already be played on a regular basis, if you have some that have been relegated to the bottom of a drawer, now may be the time to pull them out.

9. Making up stories. Here’s a chance to put your imagination to work! Talk with your child and together you can make up a story, maybe even using your sick child as the hero/heroine. As you go through the story, you could write it down for them to keep and read later on.

10. Cuddling. While my girls are still young enough to give cuddles here and there during a normal day, they’re willing to spend a lot more time just letting me hold them or wrap my arms around them when they’re not feeling well.

I have discovered that when my child is sick, what she wants most is me. There have been several times this week that I have purposely postponed what I was planning to do so that I could go sit on the couch and spend some time with my daughter. While having a sick child can be unpleasant, it can also be a chance to take a break from the routine and spend some special time together.

For more Works for Me Wednesday, visit We are That Family. Sick child photo by Spigoo.

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