Science Day

Go on a nature walk with your kids with a magnifying glass. Insects, flowers, leaves, spider webs, even tree bark will look more interesting. Notice details you never noticed before. Examine an ant or a caterpillar with and without the magnifying glass. See the difference. Note: Do not go away and leave glass on dry grass in hot sun.

How to Get Rid of Water Rings and Dried Candle Wax

House Hold Tips. This morning I helped my friend clean up after her Oscar Party. She had water rings on her wood table and candle wax dripped on her candle sticks. “It’s as easy as pie to fix,” she said. Can’t say I find making a pie that easy to make but cleaning the candle sticks and table were. My friend put mayonnaise on a paper towel and rubbed it in the water rings and let it soak for one hour. The water rings disappeared. Then she got a hair dryer, put it on high, and pointed it at the candle wax. It melted and she wiped the wax away with a paper towel.

A silly, fun party game for little girls.

Sardines is a fun game to play at a birthday party. This is how Sardines is played. One girl hides. The others try to find her. When a child finds the hider they have to hide with them in their spot (behind a couch/under a table/in a pantry). The game continues until the very last child finds the others. Lots of giggling occurs. Tip: The child who hides first should find a place where other kids can fit, like a den closet.

Book Review

Take Me Out of the Bathtub and other silly dilly songs by Alan Katz. Illustrated by David Catrow. A FUN book! This book takes old folk songs and such and substitutes funny new words. Once your child hears Take Me Out of the Bathtub your child will be singing these new tunes in the car. Watch out! It will make you laugh. Too bad the book doesn’t come with a CD.

Movie Review: The Incredible Mr. Limpet

Movie Title: The Incredible Mr. Limpet. Comedy with some animation. Some singing as well. Not rated, but I would give it a G rating myself. I was worried this film might be boring, but I was wrong. It was an amusing, silly film. It's good old fashion fun for the whole family. Don Knotts stars as Henry Limpet a bookkeeper who can't get into the navy due to poor eyesight. Henry, who loves fish, wishes he was a fish. Looking into the sea at Coney Island he falls or jumps in. He can't swim. His navy friend, George, jumps into the water to save him. But he can't find Henry. Unbeknownst to George, Henry has turned into a fish with glasses. George and Henry's wife think he's dead. Henry meets a couple of fish friends while swimming in the sea. Since Henry can't join the navy as a man he decides to help the navy as a fish. With the help of his friend George, Henry helps out his country.

Fussy Eaters Part 3

Sometimes to get out of eating your healthy dinner your child might try the, "I'm not hungry" routine. If this is occurring nightly and your child's not sick, find out what they're eating for snacks. To curb this, cut down on snacking, and have the "home snack bar" close at 4 p.m. (depending on when you serve dinner.)

Growing up my mother was strict, but fair when it came to food. She realized there are just some foods children don't like. Each one of my sibling and I were allowed to pick one food we didn't like which we didn't have to eat. (She also tacked on lima beans and liver since she didn't like these foods herself.) I picked pea soup, but I made a case that since pea soup was made from peas I shouldn't have to eat peas either. I never had to eat peas. Now of course I tried them, which is why I gave them two thumbs down. You can try this idea in your family.

Please don't have the rule that unless your child cleans their plate they can't leave the table. Growing up my brother didn't like two vegetables. Green beans and something else. My father said he couldn't be excused until he finished all his green beans. My mom's "at least have a few" idea was put down. In order that my brother could leave the table I recall at least twice secretly eating his green beans, which I wasn't crazy about either. The point is, don't make eating an unpleasant task. Food should not be forced down unhappily. Eating should be something we enjoy. Not a bad memory.

Fussy Eaters Part 2

Does your child routinely crosses their arms and say, "Yuck!" to what you made for breakfast, lunch or dinner? If so, then have a rule. You made what you made and that's it. You're home is not a restaurant, with a menu full of meals that can be served on a whim. Your child can have the food you made or not. Just make sure you serve healthy meals. And that you try to take into consideration what they like and dislike. (I can see a child saying yuck to being served liver and yams every night. Have variety.) You can't make you're child eat. But if they leave the table hungry, their food will be in the refrigerator if they get hungry. Or they can wait for the next meal. Remember your child is not in a third world country, starving. Remember this when they're moaning that you're not being a good parent and feeding them. You are feeding them. Just not the foods they want, like potatoe chips, pop corn or candy. Kids will push. Once you give in and let your child start eating cereal every night for dinner while the rest of the family eats a regular meal, it will be hard to stop. Plus, at other people's houses it's rude to say, "Ewe! I don't like your pork chops. I hate potatoes. And your fruit. Can I have a bowl of cereal instead?" I've seen it happen. I said no. The child ate what I served. The child's mother was amazed. Why should she be amazed? She can say no, too. Your child will eat something you serve, even a little, if hungry enough.

Movie Review: The Lion King

Movie Title: The Lion King. Animation film with music. Rated G. A classic film. Terrific music. Two paws up. This is a film adults will like as much as kids. Little boys will especially like this film. A lion cub, Simba, is next in line to become king. But his uncle, Scar, wants to rule. Scar gets some hyenas to join him in his plan to get rid of his brother, the king. Scar takes Simba to a place where a stampede will soon happen. Simba's father comes to save him. He succeeds but he dies himself. Scar helped cause his death, but mean Scar lets Simba take the blame. The cub runs away in shame. He meets two friends, Timon and Pumbaa who take care of him. (These are two of my favorite characters.) They provide comical relief in the story. Meanwhile Scar rules in his brother's stead, until Simba comes home to claim his throne.

How to Deal with Kids who are Fussy Eaters, Part 1

Part 1 of 3 Parts on Kids and Eating.
Does your child scrunch up his or her face, pull back their chair and refuse to eat what you have served them? If so, stop letting them get away with it. I'll be blunt. Do you think a child who is desperately poor, who hasn't had a descent meal in who knows how long, would stick up their nose at the pot roast you are serving? Your child can choose the food they want to eat, or not, because they have enough to choose from. Trust me, if your child hadn't eaten in five days that container filled with tomato soup in your frig might look edible now. But luckily if you live in the U.S., your child shouldn't ever be in that fix!

I knew a boy who hated vegetables. He would eat fruit, hamburgers, pizza, nuts, etc. just not plain vegetables. When he thought he could get away with it he would put the offending vegetables in his napkin, pretend he had to go the bathroom and flush them down the toilet, or hide them under the trash in the trash bin. His mother asked his doctor what to do. (You can ask your own family doctor what to do for your child. There are vegetable and fruit supplements. Ask about them. However, this does not make up for having the real thing. It's in addition to.) The boy's doctor said, keep giving him fruits and find ways to make the vegetables palatable. He also pointed out the boy liked pizza. And that pizza has tomato sauce on it which is a crushed vegetable. I can't say I recommend giving your child carry-out pizza, but how about making a pizza at home with fresh tomatoes and olives? Or putting a sliced tomato on a homemade hamburger? As a "not so keen on vegetables person" myself, I like grilled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in olive oil in a frying pan. I also like raw vegetables with humus. The humus makes the vegetables more appetizing. If your child doesn't like a particle vegetable try another. I know a boy who says he hates all vegetables but mild big red peppers. You can try slicing up a big red pepper (not the spicy pepper) and serving it with a healthy dip or ranch dressing.

Book Review: Five Minutes’ Peace

Five Minutes’ Peace by Jill Murphy. Very cute picture book, moms and kids can relate to. An elephant, aptly named Mrs. Large, just wants five minutes peace away from her children. She goes and takes a restful bath. Soon after her children join her in the bathroom. It’s a short book which is great for a night time read. The pictures of the elephants are adorable. For Mother’s Day this book can be a gift idea for moms who’ve mentioned whenever they take a shower or use the bathroom their child suddenly needs them.

Keep Berries Fresh Longer

If you put fresh strawberries (or other berries) in a plastic container in frig, keep moisture down by putting a paper towel underneath strawberries and over them. Keep plastic lid on tight.

Movie Review: Back to the Future 3

Movie Title: Back to the Future 3. Rated PG. Engaging movie. Marty goes to back in time to the Old West. He gets on the bad side of a bad tempered ruffian. The ruffian challenges Marty to a duel. Marty agrees and makes the duel time right after breakfast. He thinks this will give Doc enough time to get the Dolorin (car) fixed so they can be out of there before the dual can happen. Meanwhile Doc falls in love. But can love last when you are born in different centuries? I thought this movie was better than part II.

Parenting Article: Divorce

The Fun Parent vs. The Corrector Parent

Divorce can be hard on those involved. It can be difficult raising children after a divorce. Less money coming in. Having to deal with your Ex. Having to deal with behavior that your Ex allows and you don't.

It can be maddening to have your children come home from a weekend at the other parent’s with a new set of table manners. An example: "Bobby, don't burp at the table." "Dad lets me." "Bobby elbows off the table." "Dad lets me." "Bobby, I made a pot roast for dinner. Why are you having a bowl of cereal instead?" "Dad lets me." Life at Dad's looks pretty good to Bobby. If his father is only a weekend Dad this could be why. Dad wants Bobby to have a fun time with him when he sees him. If Dad had principle custody maybe Dad wouldn't be so lenient. I personally have seen father's that have primary custody who do an excellent job. They make lunches, go to school plays, meet with teachers, etc. I have also seen father's that have partial custody, who are concerned fathers as well. The best scenario is when both parents, though divorced, are on the same page as far as raising a decent well mannered child.

Any divorced parent should not make it "party time" all the time when they have their time with their children. You can have a fun time, but you still should install in your child manners, give them a decent bed time, have them do homework, have chores, etc. You should make life as normal as possible. "Party Time," most the time is not normal. Even if you feel sorry for your child about the divorce they still need to have a normal life with chores and homework time. Taking your child to an amusement park every weekend is not normal. You can spend quality time with them walking the dog, teaching them how to ride a bike, making a model airplane with them, showing them how to grow tomatoes, etc. Some divorced parents don’t want their child to dislike them, so they think if they don't correct the child’s rude or annoying behavior their child will like them more. But you are the parent. Your job is to teach them how to behave, make sure they get to school on time, to feed them nutritious meals… You aren’t a 24 hour party coordinator. Your house is not a cruise ship where you cater to every whim and life is fun, fun, fun morning, noon and night.

If you are the Ex of a "Fun Parent" who doesn't like to correct their child, for the benefit of your child don’t start doing the same to compete. Keep correcting inappropriate behavior, set a bed time, don't let them sit at the computer for hours on end or let them watch TV all day. That said do have fun with your child. Walk the dog together to an ice cream shop on Wednesdays. While doing that find out what's on their mind. Pick topics they would like to talk about. Tell a funny story about something that happened to you as a kid. Have family movie night with popcorn on Friday's. Find ways to incorporate fun into doing their homework. Have them help with dinner by cooking something they like (pizza/chili/a dessert). Lastly, don't complain about your Ex to them. Your Ex is an adult. Your kid is a kid. Your child shouldn’t have to worry about adult things. Your child does not have control over what your Ex does. Do not give them the responsibility of getting the monthly child support from them or complaining to them about it. Don't stress your child out about adult issues. Take care of it yourself. If need be talk to a friend when your child isn’t around to hear. Get things out, so you can be as calm as you can with your kids. After a divorce there are kids who worry about their parents so they take on extra responsibly, and some parents after a divorce act like a kid, shirking responsibly. As a divorced parent, do the best you can for your child.

How to Make a Light Spectacular Candle

What you need: Washed out lunch milk carton. Old wax crayons. Pot. Pan. Pencil. String. Wick, which isn’t lead based. Big pieces of crushed ice. If desired a candle scent.
What to do: 1) Poke hole in bottom of milk carton. 2) Open top of milk carton all the way. Tie wick to pencil, balance pencil on sides of top (pencil lying flat across it). Wick should go down middle of carton and through hole in bottom. 3) Tape wick to bottom of carton so it is stretched tight. 4) Peel paper off crayons. 5) Melt wax crayons in pot. You can put a liquid scent in it, or at some arts and craft stores they have wax flakes that smell that you can melt. 6) Put milk carton in pan. Pour big crushed ice in milk carton. 7) Over this pour wax. Let harden. Ice will melt to bottom of hole. 8) Peel off carton from wax candle. When wick is dry, light it. Light will go through parts where ice was, making this one cool candle.

To Help Get Rid of Counter Stains

Use a mixture of real, fresh lemon juice and baking soda to scrub out tomato paste and various coffee stains on tile counters.