As your child gets older and more independent, the summer break takes on a whole different vibe. Your now-teenager has successfully navigated middle school, some of high school, and possibly even completed Drivers’ Ed (eek!) At this point, they’re likely pretty entrenched in their daily routine: getting to class, completing assignments, attending practice, and (hopefully) doing their chores. And then summer arrives and it all falls apart. Your once busy teenager suddenly has hours and hours of time to play with and no direction creating a situation that can quickly escalate out of moms control—so here are some summer tips for moms with teens to help nip it in the bud right from the start.
The school year is drawing to a close and summer will be here in a minute, with it the buzz of schoolkids ready to burst from the confines of their routine and be free. Never fear: a successful summer transition is within your reach. The change from classroom to summer setting need not be jarring—for you or your child (or your teen). Doing a bit of prep before summer’s arrival will ease you all into this change and set you up for a summer of grand memories and structured good times.
There was a time when Ella sang, “Summertime and the livin’ is easy,” and I believed her. Growing up in the 80’s summer was always about watching movies at the outdoor movie theatre, playing outside late into the night, and of course popsicles, lots and lots of them. And then I became a mom and my priorities shifted. To be honest summer didn’t change for me in the first few years of motherhood. I was working full-time, and if there was vacation, Yay! Otherwise there was always day care! And then I had my second little pumpkin, we moved to Toronto and I decided to work from home. That’s when reality hit me like a ton of bricks: moms hate summer.
Diala’s Kitchen is one of my favourite new food blog obsessions and after getting gluttonous on the (terrible, curse on whoever invented this) “Eat What You Want Day” with a bowl of popcorn to carry me through from breakfast to lunch, an inhaled curry pad thai for dinner, and half a huge bag of dark choc almonds to follow—let’s just say that I woke up this morning hungover, overcome with guilt, and looking to redeem myself.
Diala to the rescue with a dish that’s fresh, healthy, totally yummy, and makes me feel like I might not have to wear a T-shirt over my swimsuit during baby swimming lessons this summer.
When UrbanMommies began almost 12 years ago, I looked at other bloggers and freelancers and became giddy at the thought of the flexibility and freedom my company could provide. Other Moms had given up steady jobs to write books, manufacture baby slings or start companies like mine. There seemed to be a huge shift. All around me, new parents were operating as gig workers, some were creative freelancers and others postponed their careers, pursuing higher education and training instead.
I love a morning that runs smoothly, without having to apologize to the school administrator for being late or absent! Some days, organizing breakfast, lunches and ensuring homework gets put properly in the backpack can be stressful. This is even more the case if there are sniffles, coughs, and the constant requests to stay home from school due to illness. Colds and flu put a monkey wrench into the lives of every family. The good news is that there is an easy way to reduce the disruption! In a new clinical study, children age 4 – 12 years old who took Echinaforce Junior reported 33% fewer cold and flus. Sign me up!
Food allergies and sensitivities can be the underlying causes of many childhood illnesses and symptoms without parents even being aware. However, there are certain steps that can be taken to minimize, and in some cases even prevent, the onset of an allergic response.
Breast Cancer. The unthinkable has happened. You want to scream, cry and prey that the doctor was wrong. But before the shock, sadness and anger has even a chance to register, your mind has already gone somewhere else: what are you going to tell your children? Let’s face it, we don’t want to hurt or upset our loved ones. Breaking the news about a breast cancer diagnosis may be more difficult than actually hearing the news from your doctor. You may feel concerned about upsetting your family and friends and worried about how they will react. Even worse, you may be afraid that you won’t be able to answer their questions.
Generation Z is defined as people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000’s and makes up 25% of the North American population, making them a larger cohort than the Baby Boomers or Millennials, and we have made a 2018 gen z gift guide in their honour. These kids are growing up in a world not defined by geographical borders, where influencers are bigger celebrities than movie stars, and where dating is more likely to happen in a group than one on one. There is also a ton of brand loyalty, mem fandom, and a deep dedication to saving the planet. Here are our picks. For the record, I ran them by my 2 Gen Z boys and got a double thumbs-up. I learned so much from Trendera at the Beaches Resorts Social Media on the Sand Conference and needed to share! Oh – and a few contain affiliate links, allowing us to keep running this site and bringing you great editorial.
This post is sponsored by Mattel, but all opinions are my own.
Every year on the first day of school we ask our son what he wants to be when he grows up. His answer varies from year to year as he grows and as his imagination and vision of what could be possible expands. Whatever he decides to be, as his mom I hope he grows up to make the world a better place.