July marked my tenth wedding anniversary this year. All of our family members wanted to send a gift. Do you know what we picked? RESP contributions to our sons’ education funds. Saving is hard. Especially with groceries costing a fortune, kids wanting to enroll in activities and the odd shoe sale that gets our heart racing and credit card exercised. While we all earn different incomes, have varying levels of expenses and manage finances differently, UrbanMommies has a few money-saving tips that will help you save sheckles (my Grandmother called them that) for the RESPs.
As a writer for the Tech Timeout Challenge by life insurance provider Foresters, I made a huge commitment as summer began. I set off to up the ante and do a full week without technology with the whole family. Over the summer, how hard could it be? It was hard. And I am embarrassed to say that we did not succeed. We lasted 3 days. But in the process we did accomplish the original intent of the program. We sat as a family for a minimum of an hour a day for the whole summer, talking, playing board games and playing in the sand. The art of balancing technology use as a parent proved far more challenging than I expected.
I heard a story last week about a phenomenal mom who allowed her 7 year-old son on a playdate. While the two boys were innocently searching for Lego on the internet, up popped an x-rated video that wouldn’t close with a simple click. She cried for three days and told me softly that she would never be ab;e to take back the images her son had witnessed. Horrific. Enter Kidoodle.TV. Launched for beta testing in Canada and set to launch across North America this summer, Kidoodle is made just for kids aged 12 and under. With increased parental controls, Kidoodle.TV makes programming safe for kids, with educational and entertaining content, free of nudity, profanity, violence and advertising directed at children.
They are offering a FREE one month trial during their beta test to get feedback from parents like you. Parents can sign up for this beta invitation on their site.
My friends were exhausted. And for good reason. They have a 4 year old and a 1 year old, commute to work, and have to walk the dog. But, wait. Haven’t many people gotten through that? Looking at their tired eyes, and seeing them deal with their children, I remembered numerous episodes of Nanny 911. Structure helps everyone. Many a time I saw the nanny implement the ‘families sit down to eat dinner’ rule. ‘Everyone sleeps in their own bed’ soon followed. I always thought this simply provided structure just for the kids, but seeing this struggling family without much structure for children, it all made sense.
The routine provides clear decision making (or limits the need to make decisions) for parents. It eliminates guilt (I decided last year not to give in to tantrums, and this is a tantrum, therefore I shouldn’t feel guilty for not doling out another cookie) and it assists with family unity. Dinner being ready at 6, all sitting around a table facilitates conversation, and also allows duties such as washing up to follow. With bedtime, when parents can never have the same routine twice or depend on sleep for themselves or their children, a cranky family ensues.
Routines give kids a sense of security and help them develop self-discipline. Children also naturally fear the unknown, and structure will allow them to handle change within a context of the ‘known’. These little minds and bodies change daily and the familiar acts as a comfort.
The possibility of handing kids to babysitters and having them be put to sleep without a set routine is stressful and often ruins an evening that you are paying quite a bit for. Leave it to a night when you are exhausted for the toddler to decide not to go to bed, or to get up every 30 minutes. If you don’t have a fairly stricy routine for this, the child gets mixed messages. Parents should be able to parent – to make the decisions and be the ‘alphas’ in their family. Children crave this structure, and look for role models.
We have so much clutter in our brains and structure can eliminate all of those extra decisions. So get out the calendar and a timer and relax!
What does compassion have to do with having an easier time as a teenager? What can parents do to encourage and teach to our children to be more compassionate when there are so many other distractions and role models distracting them from learning these lessons?
We’ve all heard the old saying, “Music soothes the savage beast,” and know the benefits of music for unborn and newborn babies. But what about toddlers? If there ever was a savage beast to tame, it would be an unruly toddler. But beyond lullabies, what benefits does music for toddlers bring? Let’s examine some of the ways toddlers are influenced for the better by music, and how to utilize music for toddlers to the best effect.
We’ve all been there. School is out and the days can get long! Children tend to need a little push in the right direction to stay occupied and continue their learning and play during the summer months. Here are a few ideas for activities that will make memories and keep them busy!
In preparing for Canada Day, we often reminisce about times gone by. But have we perhaps been lazy with our heritage and our own education? Here are the top 100 things all Canadians should know about – either at a cocktail party or in answer to your children’s questions. We’re bracing ourselves for lots of comments about what we may be missing… please add your thoughts below. We sometimes forget that we are our children’s best teachers and role models. So if a few of these things are fuzzy in your mind… you’ve got a fun activity brewing for the long weekend.
We asked Moms on our Facebook Fan page and Twitter about the cutest mispronunciations their children have uttered. And we had to share the results. It should brighten your day.
1. ‘gra-noculars’ instead of ‘binoculars’.
2. yew nork!
3. pah-sketti!
4. “Oak” meal. (Oatmeal)
5. Cheh-pet (instead of ketchup).
6. kershamol (commercial)
7. Mr ghetti (spaghetti)
8. minished! instead of finished. i still say it even though he’s outgrown it.
9. i used to say “missmiss” [for christmas] – 35 years later + my dad still teases me about it 😛
10. Guacamonkey!
11. ”Can we go to Ole McDonald’s?”
12. Wook (look)
13. Tim Horton hears a who!
14. Poorhead (instead of forehead)
15. Flus-sh*#. She meant flush it.
16. There are so many funny ones I just can’t remember them all… hambulance = ambulance. My favourite is listening to the wrong/mixed up lyrics in the car. It kills me everytime!
17. Furnace…..actually means Thermos. Mummy can I have soup in my furnace tomorrow?
18. The funniest I’ve heard was from a little one I used to babysit, he used to say he liked to eat crap, instead of crab. Lol.
19. dumb shit = drumstick….we even have it recorded
20. Beegurt (yogurt) I want some beeegurt!
21. Exact-a-dentally for accidentally. He’s 6 and still says it. I know I’ll miss it when it’s gone.
22. I’m not hungry, just drinky!
23. hunormous
24. ‘bafuter’ for computer
25. My son used to call pit bulls “pimples” as in “Look Mommy, there’s a pimple dog!”
Feel free to add your own in the comments section. See? Parenting is SO worth it!!!
Reading to your babies and kids is one of those important things like brushing teeth and eating veggies that can sometimes slip by the wayside (or can give your mother-in-law fodder for more unwanted advice). UrbanMommies loves books (make sure you check our Get Reading section regularly), so we asked a child reading specialist for some helpful tips on making sure your kids are well versed (so to speak) in reading.