Playing Inside Family Games
September 29, 2008
Family Game Night - A Great Way To Spend Quality Time With Your Kids
A great w ay to spend quality time with your kids is to start playing
inside family games. Give it a try - Playing games together is a lot of
fun for everyone involved.
We recently started to play board games on a regular basis in our family. Even I was surprised how great of a time everyone involved is having. Not only was it a lot of fun to play board and card games, but we also got to chat about our day and anything else that’s going on in our busy lives.
How do you start your own game night? It doesn’t have to be complicated at all. Start by picking one night a month that everyone will be at home. If you have busy teens in the house, you may want to let them know about a week ahead of time that you expect them to stay in that night. With younger kids it’s usually just a matter of finding a night without soccer or swimming practice and your husband doesn’t have a late meeting or bowling night with the guys.
Choose some games ahead of time and make sure all the game pieces are complete. You don’t want to find out that you can’t play monopoly, because someone took all the little houses out of the box years ago. Think about what games you have around the house and take a look at what shape they are in. When it comes time to choose the actual games, keep all players in mind. If you have younger children, you may want to start with games like memory, Candyland or Go Fish. Older kids may enjoy the game of life, mystery or card games. Choose at least one game that each family member will really like to make sure everyone is having a good time.
Of course board and card games aren’t your only options when it comes to family game night. Younger children will enjoy simple games like “Simon Says” and of course charades are always a favorite. Other ideas are hangman, tick-tac-toe and “I Spy”. I’m sure once you start playing some of these games, you’ll remember some other old time favorites.
Get some sack foods like chips, popcorn and pigs in a blanket for everyone to munch on while you are playing. You could even fix a few different types of appetizers and skip dinner. Grab some ice and a few different sodas and you are all set for game night.
Pick a comfy spot for your game night. The kitchen table usually works well for board games, but your living room coffee table may work as well. You can even throw a few pillows on the living room floor and hang out there to play games.
That’s all there’s too it. Just get everyone playing and see for yourself what a great time you can have with game night. They’ll be ready for more next month, or you could even make it a weekly event. What a great way to reconnect with your family and enjoy each other’s company.
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The American Picnic - Make Yours Memorable
September 29, 2008
by Beverly Marshall
Potty Training Tips
Potty Training Advice and Tips From Moms & Dads Like You.
We love spending time outdoors and if you are expecting a large group; you need to be somewhere you can accommodate all of the people. A picnic can be anything you want it to be. There are a host of picnic ideas available, depending upon time of day and how formal or casual you want your picnic to be. If you are having a picnic for just your family; you might try to find some of the fun new gear available; such as a portable gas grill, picnic backpack, folding picnic table, fancy acrylic dishes and glasses, sleeping hammocks and more. If you are planning a picnic for a crowd there are more details and extra planning that are needed. The following are a few ideas for your picnics to help your next event be special:
• Host dinner picnics in the park under the stars. It could be romantic picnics, or family reunions. Band concerts are held on summer evenings that your guests could listen to.
• Hold rainy day picnics especially for the kids. If the kids can’t enjoy the outdoors, spread a big blanket out in the family room and get together all of their favorite picnic food. Play a few impromptu games and then nap time later. They will feel that you did something especially for them.
• Are you watching calories so burgers and brats won’t do? Try low carb, less fat or vegetarian picnics. Beans and tortillas, lots of salads and veggies could be on the menu instead of all that heavy BBQ. Keep dairy products and mayo limited as they don’t do well in the heat.
• One idea is a total family affair including the kids. Let them help you with all of the details and the cooking preparation. It will be an event they will look forward to and remember for a long time.
• Come up with a cultural theme for your next picnic. Do you want it to be TexMex and steak fajitas or Italian with lots of wine? Make it cowboys and cowgirls for the kids or Spongebob, Garfield, etc. You decide on what’s fun for everyone.
• Include water if you can; picnics are more fun and refreshing when they are at the beach, lake, ocean side or poolside. Bring games that are good in the same such as volleyball or badminton.
• Plan the picnic around an outdoor festival. Music is a great entertainment and you can still talk at the same time the concert is going on.
• If the picnic is for the company; be a little more conservative in taste, and plan games that are good for all ages. Keep everyone involved and give out prizes.
• Get the kids involved in a craft projects including sea shells, sandcastles, nature walks, scavenger hunts and more.
• Decide if you want to do pizza or potluck, burgers or filet mignon, wine and cheese or a full course meal, sushi, tapas and more. Food is the biggest decision for the picnic so put some thought into it. Your picnic could be a success or failure depending on what kind of food you serve.
• Be creative when it comes to games. The same old things like croquet or softball is just fine, but how about coming up with new games like bocce ball or give lessons on tennis and golf that people normally don’t have time for.
• Allow for down time too. Busy people just want to relax and sit in a chair. Respect the wishes of those that just want to sit and watch instead of constantly participating in the activities. Many just need to veg for a while. It’s good to have activities for people to participate in; but don’t over do it.
• Plan some type of shelter if possible in case it rains or if some just need to come in out of the sun. Many older people cannot sit out in the sun all day and will need some shade.
Your picnics can be anything you want them to be; elegant or casual, well planned or impromptu, kids included or just dinner for two, wedding receptions or birthday parties; it doesn’t matter the ideas for picnics abound. Just get a little creative with your ideas to make it extra special for everyone and a time your guests won’t soon forget.
Beverly Marshall is a successful freelance writer offering guidance and suggestions for consumers buying patio and outdoor furniture, outdoor kitchen ideas gas grills, picnic tables, hammocks, above ground pools and more. She gives information and tips to help you save money and make informed buying decisions.
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Picky Eater - Fighting the Good Fight
September 29, 2008
By Jason Katzenback
Potty Training Tips
Potty Training Advice and Tips From Moms & Dads Like You.
Often, the struggle at dinnertime with your picky eater is not so much about food as it is about control. As children become more independent, conflicts can arise as they carefully scrutinize what goes into their mouths. The more you push, the more they resist with the outcome resulting in tears and frustration.
During one of these scenarios, it is not surprising to see picky eater dissolve into hysterics when faced with a tiny lima bean or hear unpleasant gagging sounds after your seven-year-old sniffs the aromatic lemon sauce poured over the baked fish. Then, as the parents become upset, blowing things out of proportion, generally things become worse.
Instead, you will need to learn on finding a common ground with your picky eater, one by which you all can live. Try to remember that not all battles are worth fighting. Therefore, you will need to decide which ones are the most important in your house. Hopefully, food will not be one of them because it could potentially turn the pleasure of eating into a control issue that can last a lifetime.
Your primary concerns should be whether your picky eater child is getting the requisite amount of calories he or she needs to grow, and if he or she has a proper balance of nutrients to remain healthy. The answer is most likely “yes.” Even if your picky eater child were on a macaroni and cheese kick for the next two weeks, protein, dairy, and other vitamins are still included in the diet.
Be realistic in your expectations. Children (not just picky eater children) up to age ten still use their fingers quite a lot in ways that adults don’t, like pushing peas onto a spoon and picking up pieces of meat. They still have some trouble chewing and swallowing tough or dry or fibrous foods, like steak or chops. Part of the problem might be that they don’t have the jaw strength to chew up the meat.
Another part is that up until about age eight their swallow is immature. They swallow with their cheeks, as if they were suckling from a straw, not using their tongue like you or I do. Children this age still have a limited number of foods they readily accept. Do not despair. The number of accepted foods will gradually increase, as they get older. The numbers will increase — that is, provided you don’t make a big issue about it. Often times making a big deal can cause and decrease in food acceptance rather then an increase.
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Additional Resources:
Picky Eater Resource Section
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