Gift Ideas For Teachers

Each year we all struggle with what to get our children’s teachers both in December and again at the end of the school year. Here are 8 ideas that I have used over the years with the teachers of my own kids.

1. Gift certificates from Starbucks, the local bookstore, the local stationary store, office supply store, or a local coffee shop, I’ve always been thanked profusely for all of these, and a few teachers have even told me they appreciate this over the teacher coffee mug they get every single year.

2. A basket with pens, pencils, erasers and other small classroom items. Teachers go through dozens of these items each school year. It’s wonderful when a parent helps replenish the supply.

3. One year we went to Costco and bought boxes of snack foods. We then bought small boxes and gave each teacher a basket filled with snack foods. We included peanuts, a couple of candy bars, small cans of Pringles potato chips, fruit snacks and a couple of bottles of water.

4. If you know the teacher enjoys giving small candies, like chocolate kisses to the class, buy a jar and a huge bag of kisses from Costco. Often, when teachers offer this, the candy is paid for by the teacher. What a treat to have a parent buy the candy that will last at least a semester.

5. If you know the teacher is a coffee drinker, a ½ pound or even a full pound of gourmet coffee is a great treat. If you know the teacher is a tea drinker, an assortment of teas can make a nice gift.

6. If you know the teacher has a specific hobby, a gift certificate to a store selling items related to that hobby is always appreciated.

7. Board games are always appreciated by teachers who teach younger children. Over the years, pieces are lost, or broken. Replacing those older items is always welcome.

8. We’ve had teachers over the years that keep an “Items Wanted” list. This list includes “extra” goodies that the teacher does not have the budget for, but would love in his/her classroom. Throughout the year, as folks move, spring clean etc, families will donate items on that list. Usually these items are used. How special to get a brand new item, that is on the list, so you know the teacher wants the item. Sometimes teaming up with a few other families will allow you to buy a new bookcase, a set of books the teacher wants, or even throw pillows for the floor for the younger children to sit on.

Next time, instead of buying a mug, a ceramic apple or even lotion/aftershave, consider the above items, items a teacher can truly use and will appreciate.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

MommysClub

As parents, it’s always wonderful to find new resources to make our lives just a bit easier and less stressful. MommysClub (www.mommysclub.com) does all of that and more.

MommysClub is divided into several helpful sections. There is a recipe section, a kids craft section and several articles and tips. I'm also told there personalize letters to Santa for those who celebrate Christmas.

If you’re looking for a message board community, MommysClub offers a community with over 20 different boards to post on and find others you have something in common with.

If you are a work at home mom, MommysClub has a rep of the month section and a home business section.

The owner of MommysClub is Cathy Reay. Cathy is present on the site almost daily and continues to add new sections, bring in new ideas and provide a wonderful hangout for all women.

Stop by and say hello to Cathy.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Should Children Receive An Allowance?

This is a very controversial topic. You’ll find experts who believe an allowance offers many benefits to the child and you’ll find experts who don’t believe an allowance sends the right message.

I’m on the side of not giving allowance, at least not for everyday household chores. Each of us has a responsibility to help out by doing dishes, putting away groceries and making sure things are picked up regularly.

When extra’s are such as window washing or lawn mowing are done, I think it’s awesome to have a set amount that’s paid.

In the case of an allowance for chores done, what happens if the chore is not done? How much do you deduct each time a full trash can is not taken out? Or how much do you deduct if only part of a room gets cleaned?

In the case of the extra chores it’s a simple case of if you do the job, you get paid and if you don’t do the job, there’s no extra/disposable income this week.

So, how do you decide how to finance your child’s movie money or ice cream money or iPod money?

My kids are older now. When they were tweens and teens, what worked was I mostly said yes to reasonable requests as long as chores were normally done, grades were kept up and rules were followed. For something like an iPod, I’d offer to pay one half. These types of purchases were not allowed on a regular basis. And remember there are always extra chores for extra income.

We did do a clothing allowance. We added up what I tended to spend in a given year and divided it by 12 months. Each month I added a certain amount to this clothing allowance. They then could buy their own clothes. If they chose a pair of designer jeans over the less expensive brands, this was their choice, however that might mean no new shoes for the year. Again, their choice. This absolutely teaches choices and budgeting, without the added deductions for chores not done.

Decide what message you want to give to your children regarding allowance and then set up a system that works for your family.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Spending Time With Your Teenage Daughter

If your kids are like mine, then spending time in their room, on the phone, or on the computer instant messaging is their idea of a great time.

Here are many activities I’ve participated in with my teens over the years:

Starbucks – My daughter would do this daily if I said yes. We will buy our coffees and then sit and chat. No more taking them home, as home means either on the phone or on the computer.
Walks – We have some great paths where I live. I invite my younger daughter to join me at least a couple of times a week on a walk.
Renting Movies – We go to Blockbuster and my daughter gets to choose what we watch. We can’t always finish the movie in one night, so often we’ll watch it over two nights.
Plays – My daughter loves plays. We have gone to many junior high, high school and college plays. We do catch an occasional adult performance also, but often our attendance is at a student production.
Cooking – My daughter loves to bake. We’ll often bake cookies or brownies that she can take to school the next day.
Shopping – What teenage girl does not like to shop? We know every store in our town and two towns over.
Crafts – We love to crochet and scrapbook. We try to find one night a week or sometimes one night every other week that we can scrapbook. My daughter works on her album and I work on mine. We are together, sharing and laughing.
Old Sitcoms – We really enjoy old sitcoms. We joined Netflix and will rent old sitcoms like Friends, Laverne and Shirley and others.
Lunch Out – A few times a year, the high school has minimum days. I work my schedule so that when I pick my daughter up from school we can go have lunch together.
Garage Sales and Flea Markets – My older daughter loves to get up on Saturday mornings and hit the local garage sales. We leave about 7:45 a.m. and get back about noon. Often we’ll stop and have lunch as part of the day.
Open Houses – One of my daughters loves to visit open houses on the weekends and see what’s for sale and view the many floor plans available.

I believe it’s important to spend time with your teenage daughter, and so I’ve found many creative ideas to help them say yes.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Talking Ethics With Your Children

Children watch their parents. Children often model their own behavior based on what they see their parents do.

Very recently a woman faced an ethical dilemma and didn’t know what to do. Her daughter is in high school and has a friend. The friend’s mom lied about their address so that her daughter could attend the school. The first woman was very torn on what to do because she did not want her own daughter to accidentally spill the beans or to be asked to lie.

These situations happen daily. Our children are faced with ethical decisions they need to make. They will base their decisions on what has been modeled to them.

Discuss ethics with your child from the time they are young. Ask questions that cause them to think about what they might do in a given situation. Often there are no right or wrong answers, but there is a lot of room for discussion.

Ask your young child what he/she would do if they saw another child take away a toy from a child playing with that toy. Would they step in? Would they tell an adult? Would they ignore the situation completely?

Ask your school age child what he/she would do if they saw another student copying their friend’s paper. This might be a test or it might be homework. Would they turn in the cheater? Would they say something to the cheater? Would they mind their own business?

Ask your high schooler what they would do if they knew someone had been drinking and that person wanted to then drive. Or what would they do if they knew a friend was sneaking out at night behind their parents’ back?

These are all questions of ethics. Different families will find answers to these questions in different places.

I believe it is so important to role play like this over the years so that when faced with ethical decisions your child has a base for making these types of decisions.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Letting Your Tween Wear Makeup

For most of us with daughters, we’ll face the junior high dilemma of whether or not we should allow our almost teenaged daughters to wear makeup.

This is one of those “pick your battles” issues. There was no moral or ethical reason for me to say no when my daughter approached me at age 11 asking to wear makeup. She had just entered 7th grade and was not yet 12.

As I spoke to other moms, I discovered that almost every one of them had faced the same decision.

Most of the girls were saying the same thing “mom all of the girls are wearing makeup.” While I’m not fond of being told what other moms are or are not doing, I knew that saying yes would help her feel a bit more “part of the group” at a time when kids are really struggling with who they are and where they fit in.

It’s so hard to think of our daughters as “grown up.” Makeup for them is such a sign of maturity.

I said yes with some limits. I did not want dark colored lipsticks. I did not want thick eyeliners.

We began with lip gloss, not lipstick. We also bought some foundation and some mascara.

While a bit young, teaching young girls about skin care and makeup can be beneficial. These girls develop life long cleansing habits from their junior high make up experiences.

Another benefit of allowing your daughter to wear makeup is teaching her about creating a budget and allowing her to make decisions on her own based on her makeup budget.

My own daughter began looking for makeup coupons and looking for sales so she could get the most for her money.

For me, the makeup dilemma was an easy decision. She actually tired of wearing makeup within the year and was onto other junior high issues.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Healthy Choices For After School Snacks

Healthy Choices For After School Snacks
By: Tammy Embrich

What do kids do when they get home from school? They go for the kitchen for a quick snack. They grab whatever looks good to them. And they usually don't think "healthy."

It's in a child's nature to pick out junk foods. Junk foods that are high in sugar as well as fat. Unless of course, they are used to eating healthy and making healthier choices. But...if your child is not eating healthy and constantly grabbing for the cookie jar or their favorite candy bar, then it's time to make some changes.

These unhealthy habits can lead to serious health issues when they grow to be adults. In fact, it can significantly affect them when they are still children. It's a well-known fact that parents stocking healthier food choices can contribute to slowing the epidemic of obesity in their children.

So Moms and Dads...let's make those changes. Restock your kitchen and substitute those chips, candies, and cookies with much healthier snacks.

Below are some examples of healthful after school snacks:
* Peanut butter on whole wheat crackers or celery
* Fresh fruits, applesauce, dried fruits
* Veggies and low-fat dip
* Granola bars
* Fruit smoothies
*Rice cakes
* Slice of veggie pizza
* Frozen yogurt

It would be a good idea to get your kids involved to help you with this list and even to help prepare these snacks to avoid the junk foods. Try and make these from scratch if you can. This will give the kids more of an incentive to eat healthy.

Here is one that most kids will like:

Homemade Peanut Butter

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. unsalted peanuts
1 tbsp. peanut oil
2 tbsp. honey

Directions

Mix peanuts, honey, and oil and pour mixture into a food processor. Process until mixture is very smooth. Store the peanut butter in the fridge. It should be good stored for two weeks.

Try and be creative with different kinds of foods and dips. The idea is to try and make it as fun as possible for your children so that they will WANT to eat more healthier.

Your kids will thank you later in their lifetime for these changes. Also...remember to set a good example and eat healthy foods yourself!

Article Written By Tammy Embrich

Tammy owns and operates two work at home websites, a work at home forum, a recipe site and three blogs. She offers free work at home job leads for the job seeker, business work at home articles, tips, and more. You can visit Tammy at Work At Home Jobs and Parent Zone.

Putting Children To Bed At Night

Many parents tell me of daily struggles both at nap time and at bedtime. I was very fortunate. When my kids were young we did not have a lot of struggles. I did not force naps and bed time was really bedroom time, not necessarily sleep time.

If you’re child is fighting you at nap time, you have to evaluate the purpose of the nap. Is the nap to give you a break or is the nap because the child is tired? If the child is tired and does indeed need the sleep, then a wind down routine with some soft music, some quiet activity may be all that’s needed for the child to go to sleep. Just as we (the adults) can not come home and immediately fall asleep, neither can a child. They too need some time to wind down.

If the child is overtired, helping them fall asleep is even more difficult. On those days, I would always put very soothing music on, in the car and would even sometimes drive a bit further than necessary to help calm my child down.

By age 2, neither of my kids took naps anymore. Taking a nap would mean they were up until 11pm at night and I did not want them up that late. At school both of my kids were allowed to engage in quiet play during the nap time. If they did fall asleep at home, I would wake them after one hour. Again, I wanted them to be able to sleep at night.

What if you need a break? What if nap time is one of the only breaks you get? Keep the naps short, no more than an hour. A childless hour can do wonders to rejuvenate a tired mom. Trade play dates with another mom for an hour per day. Use that hour for YOU. Don’t clean house. Instead do something for you. It might mean reading a book. It might mean working on the quilt you’ve been working on for the last 6 months. Use the time for you, so that when you reunite with your child, you are once again rejuvenated.

Nighttime routines are going to vary according to the child. One of my daughters was quick to fall asleep at night. She was tired. My other daughter was not tired. She did not require as much sleep. She used to read for an hour in bed before going to sleep. This did the trick. I wanted her in her room by 8:30, but she wanted to be up until 9:30. Having her read that hour gave both of us what we wanted.

What activities, very quiet activities can your child do in their room before bed? If they don’t wish to read, what about a jigsaw puzzle? The idea is to slow down and be ready to go to sleep. If your child falls asleep on the floor, that’s ok, when you go to bed, pick them up and put them into their bed.

Try different techniques to make bed time a pleasant time, not a struggle time.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

A Blog Carnival

Blog carnivals are so much fun. You get to meet lots of other moms and view some wonderful blogs.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka