Category Archives: Parenting & Family

Keepsake Stone

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With a grandchild on the way I find myself thinking back to my kids growing up and wish we had preserved so much more of their creations and developments then we did. The notebooks full of their art, awards, programs, school work, report cards and such are wonderful to have. But I miss their tiny little feet and hands and wish I could go back and hold them once again. I found this recipe to make a stone for impressions of a loved ones hands and feet or impressions of keepsake like keys or jewelry etc. It made me wish we had done something similar to preserve the size of our precious little ones. Tell us how this project goes if you do one…. would love to see pictures.

Keeping Kids Busy

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143 Things for Your Kids To Keep Busy With:

  • make paper snowflakes
  • clean out the toy box
  • send virtual greeting cards
  • choose photos for a family calendar
  • have an indoor picnic
  • bake and decorate cut-out cookies
  • go camping in the livingroom
  • clear out your email inbox
  • make a mobile out of found objects (acorns, rocks, branches)
  • write up some New Year’s Resolutions
  • create a simple Family Tree
  • make sandwiches and cut them out with large cookie cutters
  • play basketball with a wadded up piece of paper and a wastebasket
  • play board games
  • make a tent out of blankets
  • read books
  • make homemade play dough
  • play with play dough
  • write a letter to a relative, friend or pen pal
  • clean bedroom
  • vacuum living room
  • clean bathroom
  • make a craft
  • draw
  • color
  • paint
  • watch a movie
  • write stories
  • use magnifying glass
  • write a play
  • act out a play
  • invent indoor circus acts
  • perform an indoor circus
  • play card games
  • dust the house
  • brush the pet
  • write letters
  • read a magazine
  • play dress-up
  • play Cowboys
  • build a fort in your rooms
  • do a jigsaw puzzle
  • play on the Geosafari
  • play on the computer
  • listen to a story or book on tape
  • do extra schoolwork to get ahead
  • do brain teasers (ie: crosswords, word searches, hidden pictures, mazes, etc.)
  • cook
  • prepare lunch
  • surprise a neighbor with a good deed
  • play store
  • prepare a “restaurant” lunch with menus
  • hold a tea party
  • have a Teddy bear picnic on the floor in the livingroom
  • play with toy cars
  • play dolls
  • play house
  • learn magic tricks
  • put on a magic show
  • make sock puppets
  • put on a puppet show
  • crochet or knit
  • make doll clothes
  • sew buttons in designs on old shirts
  • make bookmarks
  • take a quiet rest time
  • take a shower or bath
  • organize a dresser drawer
  • clean under the bed
  • empty dishwasher
  • vacuum under the couch cushions and keep any change found
  • write these ideas on pieces of paper and pick out one or two to do
  • practice musical instruments
  • perform a family concert
  • teach yourself to play musical instrument (recorder, harmonica, guitar)
  • fold laundry
  • sweep kitchen or bathroom floors
  • vacuum or dust window blinds
  • clean bathroom mirrors
  • clean sliding glass doors
  • copy your favorite book illustration
  • design your own game
  • build with blocks or Legos
  • create a design box (copper wire, string, odds-and-ends of things destined for the
  • garbage, pom-poms, thread, yarn, etc.)
  • have a marble tournament on the livingroom carpet
  • make dessert
  • make dinner
  • give your pet a party
  • have a read-a-thon with a friend or sibling
  • check out a science book and try some experiments
  • make up a story
  • arrange photo albums
  • play hide-and-seek
  • create a symphony with bottles and pans and rubber bands
  • read a story to a younger child
  • string dry noodles or O-shaped cereals into a necklace
  • glue noodles into a design on paper
  • play jacks
  • make up a song
  • make an indoor teepee out of blankets
  • write in your journal
  • play charades
  • make up a story by drawing pictures
  • draw a cartoon strip
  • make a map of your bedroom, house or neighborhood
  • call a friend
  • cut pictures from old magazines and write a story
  • make a collage using pictures cut from old magazines
  • do a secret service for a neighbor
  • plan a treasure hunt
  • make a treasure map
  • make up a “Bored List” of things to do
  • plan a special activity for your family
  • search your house for items made in other countries and then learn about those
  • countries from the encyclopedia or online
  • plan an imaginary trip to the moon
  • plan an imaginary trip around the world, where would you want to go
  • write a science-fiction story
  • find a new pen pal
  • make up a play using old clothes as costumes
  • make up a game for practicing math facts
  • have a Spelling Bee
  • make up a game for practicing spelling
  • write newspaper articles for a pretend newspaper
  • put together a family newsletter
  • write reviews of movies or plays or TV shows or concerts you see during the break from school
  • bake a cake
  • bake a batch of cookies
  • decorate a shoe box
  • make a hideout or clubhouse
  • make paper airplanes
  • have paper airplane races
  • learn origami
  • make friendship bracelets for your friends
  • make a wind chime out of things headed for the garbage
  • paint your face
  • braid hair
  • play tag
  • make food sculptures (from pretzels, gumdrops, string licorice, raisins, cream cheese, peanuts, peanut butter, etc.) and then eat it
  • produce a talent show
  • memorize a poem
  • recite a memorized poem for your family

Weight Loss Tool Kit

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Weight Loss Tips & Strategies

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{1} Ban the word “diet” from your vocabulary
Diets are temporary, the word implies you’ll go off it at some point rather than developing healthy habits you can maintain throughout your life. Plus “diet” is such a motivation-killer thanks to its many negative connotations (hunger and deprivation, to name just two). Focus on the positive aspects of eating healthfully, such as feeling more energetic.

{2} Don’t make it all about dress size
Yes, wanting to fit into your skinny jeans can inspire you to slim down, but you’re more likely to succeed if you think beyond the superficial. Meaningful goals like setting a good example for your kids or avoid­ing a health problem that runs in your family are more motivating and will make it easier for you to resist temptation. Write your goals down and refer to the list often to reinforce your determination.

{3} Be realistic
Forget everything the weight-loss infomercials tell you: Dropping a dress size in a matter of days is pure fantasy. Trying to lose too much too quickly will frustrate you, and you’ll be more likely to give up on your weight-loss plan when it doesn’t happen. Aiming to shed a pound a week is more realistic. Better yet, don’t just focus on the scale. Create easily attainable mini-goals like using skim milk in your coffee instead of half-and-half. Meeting them will help you feel successful and excited to make more healthy changes.

{3} Don’t indulge a craving the minute it strikes
It will probably go away in 15 to 20 minutes (we’re serious!). Distract your­self while you wait out a yearning for cookies by drinking a glass of water, playing a game on the computer or tak­ing a walk. Or simply picture anything other than cookies. In a recent study conducted at Flinders University, in Australia, volunteers who had been experiencing food cravings reported that those cravings eased after they were asked to think about nonfood images and aromas.

{4} Avoid peer pressure
You’ve probably heard that women are more likely to overindulge when they eat with other women. To avoid social dining sabotage on girls’ night out, check the restaurant’s menu on its website (or look it up on menupages .com) and make a healthy meal choice ahead of time. Picture yourself saying your order and asking the waiter for water with lemon instead of soda. Placing your order first helps, too—once you’ve asked for the grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side, you won’t be as easily swayed by a pal who orders mac and cheese.

{5} Ditch the put-downs
Negative beliefs like “I have no will­power” or “I’ll always be this heavy” can easily become self-fulfilling prophecies. (Needless to say, they won’t do much for you in the motiva­tion department, either.) The good news is that positive self-labels can also influence reality. People who describe themselves as being healthy eaters report consuming more fruits and vegetables and fewer unhealthy foods, according to a study con­ducted at the University of Ottawa. Think it, be it—there’s no easier weight-loss strategy than that!