Friday, August 31, 2012

Dinnertime Chat

       I don’t know about you, but at the end of the day, I am beat! It takes all I have to even form a sentence some times, so I can only imagine how our kids must feel at the end of their busy school days. I am sure you have already experienced, the “How was school today?” “Fine.” “What did you do at school today?” “Played.” Okay…so where do you go from here? It can be like pulling teeth sometimes to get your child to tell you about their day so why not make it interesting and fun while sitting at the dinner table tonight. Here are some great conversation starters, thanks to one of my favorite magazine, Real Simple. Love! So here you go!

  • If you had the ability to transform into an animal, which animal would you choose? 
  • If parents could switch places with kids for a day or kids could switch places with parents, what would you do?
  • Name five places you want to go in 10 years.
  • What is the one thing you wish you had discovered? This one might be for older kids or even the adults.
  • Name five things you would take to a desert island.
      *Things to Remember:  Sometimes you have to think outside the box to get the conversation started.  It is worth the effort!

Friday, August 24, 2012

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever."

- Mohandas Gandhi


Source:  Family.com
 

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Let them fly!

 

Parents article on Solutions to morning madness

Last month, Heather and I mentioned in our Kindergarten Readiness countdown about getting a morning routine started and coming up with a filing system for important school papers and homework to ease your beginning of the school year stress...
. As some of you have already started your school year, we found this great article on Parents.com to futher help you ease into the morning back to school madness.

http://www.parents.com/kids/education/back-to-school/morning-madness-solutions/
 

Monday, August 13, 2012

#KGReadiness Day 50: From day one, create a positive relationship with your child's teacher...

#KGReadiness Day 50: From day one, create a positive relationship with your child's teacher, whether your child is going into Kindergarten, starting their first year at a day school or going into middle school, see the teachers as partners in your child's education. It will make a difference in your child's learning experience.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

#KGReadiness Day 47: Gather some breakfast ideas for those busy mornings! More at www.ahandsonmom.blogspot.com

Back in December we posted a few easy breakfast ideas (2 of which are make-aheads) for when the old peanut butter on toast routine gets old.  You might want to give these recipes a shot.

Are you on www.pinterest.com yet?  It's a great source of inspiration for all things--especially recipes! Hands on Mom boards are coming this fall!

Friday, August 3, 2012

#KGReadiness Day 44: Develop a departure ritual with your child

"Have a great day at school!"
How many times have you said this and heard this? How many other children hear these exact same words when they get out of the car? And does this admonition really work?
It reminds me of a conversation I overheard on our family vacation to the beach this summer.  As my brother (who is over 30, by the way) packed his car to make the drive back to Nashville he got the classic mom comment "Drive safely!"
To which he replied, "Thank you for reminding me! I was planning to drive like a bat out of hell."
Snarky, yes.  But my family has a wicked sense of humor.
And it reminded me of how much fun my daughter and I had when we choreographed our own unique departure ritual that we do whenver I am dropping her off somewhere for more than an hour. The rules were that it be sweet, fast, and not too embarassing to do in front of other people.
After much experimentation we settled on this: we kiss our hands like we're going to blow a kiss, but instead we give each other a high-five. 
Smooch and smack.  Kiss and clap. 
Keeps my lipstick from getting on her face (which is a kissing hazard, you know).
It is uniquely ours, and says so much--I love you, I hope you have a great day even though we don't have control over that, and I can't wait to see you later.
What's your departure ritual?