REINFORCEMENT

To follow the rules, your kids need you to explain what table manners are expected of them. Here’s how to ensure that your youngster not only picks up, but retains, his etiquette lessons for this Thanksgiving’s spread:

• Begin with the general concept of manners and associate proper holiday dinner behavior with how she makes others feel
• Start with one rule at a time, choosing which behaviors are deal breakers and which you can ignore
• Teach by example and show your kiddies the good manners you’re advocating
• Be consistent and nip bad table behavior in the bud every time
• Give lots of praise; children respond to positive reinforcement, so recognize when they are practicing  good manners

Practice makes perfect, so begin teaching tableside behavior as soon as possible to ensure a pleasant Thanksgiving for everyone.

As Halloween Draws near Halloween Crafts can be a fun way to keep your Children busy and also an inexpensive way to make your house the spookiest on the block

Here are a few fun easy Ideas as well as a fun video as well as  some links to website with other fun Ideas. Check out my tips next week when we will feature fun Halloween snacks and foods to brighten up your dinner table…

Have some friends over and make spooky bracelets for each other this Halloween.

What you will need:

Fun Foam (White, yellow, black, and green)

Spooky Bracelet Free Halloween Pattern

Thin ribbon (optional)

Rick Rack

Velcro, positive and negative

INSTRUCTIONS:

Print and cut out the spooky bracelet pattern, then trace the pieces on the desired color of fun foam. Cut those pieces out.

The ghost has rick rack in the center of the bracelet band - glue the ends of the rick rack under the band. Now glue on your ghost and the center of the band. Give him a little bow and you can use a paper punch to punch out some eyes out of black. Or, alternatively, use small half black beads. Now glue on a small piece of velcro on one side of the bracelet and the opposite velcro piece on the inside of the band.

Glue together the bat the same way. Just put the moon on first and then the bat. Paper punch some yellow eyes. Repeat the instructions given for the ghost.

Here is a NO COST and VERY EASY craft for ages 2 to adult.
(Supervise young children with scissors, marker, and needle)

Materials

• 2 white plastic grocery bags
• Scissors
• Black magic marker
• White thread and a needle.

General Instructions

Cut the handles off of one grocery bag. Save them.If the bag has any store markings on the front, cut off the front of the bag.

Roll the second grocery bag and the front from the first grocery bag, into a ball. Place this into the center of the first grocery bag and bring the edges together to form the head.

Using one of the bag handles, wrap it around the head and tie into a knot. Fluff out the ends of the handle to form arms.

Use the magic marker to make eyes and mouth.

With threaded needle, insert needle through the head (into both bags so thread won’t pull out) to form a string to hang your ghost.

These handprint and footprint ghosts are so effective - and, if you remember to date them, a great way of “capturing” a memory of your child. They make great invitations for a Halloween party, too!

You will need:

Black paper
White paint
Black pen

Instructions:

Print a white handprint onto the black paper, keeping your fingers together. Leave some space and print a white footprint.

When the paint is dry, draw on some ghostly faces. The fingers/toes form the bottom of your ghost.

Cut out the ghosts, leaving a thin rim of black paper around the edge.

Why not punch a hole through the top, tie through some string and hang them as decorations this Halloween?

Links to FREE Halloween coloring sheets and activites

http://www.makingfriends.com/color/color_blackcat.htm

http://www.makingfriends.com/color/color_halloween_frog.htm

http://www.makingfriends.com/color/phrase_halloween.htm

http://www.allfreeprintables.com/halloween/jacklantern.shtml

http://www.allfreeprintables.com/halloween/bear.shtml

LINKS TO GREAT HOME MADE CRAFT WEBSITES

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/halloween/index.shtml#decorations

BACK TO SCHOOL is here !!! and as you finish your back to school shopping  next on the list after getting your kids on a good sleep routine is to make a fun yet healthy school lunch that is too GOOD to trade.

So here are some fun Ideas to spice up their lunch box and make  your child the envy  of all of  his/her lunch table friends.

Surprise your kids on the first day of school with this too-cool-to-trade lunch idea.

Ingredients

• 2 slices of bread (one white and the other whole wheat, roughly the same size)

• Cookie cutters, 1 large and 1 small (ours measure 3 1/4 inches for the hand and 1 1/2 inches for the heart)

Instructions

1. Set the 2 slices of bread on a cutting board. Cut out the centers of each with a large and a small cookie cutter.
2. Swap the center cutouts, so the wheat bread has a white bread design and the white has the wheat, then assemble your sandwich.

How do you turn a sandwich into a fun snack? Make it a stick-wich!

Ingredients

• bread
• cheese
• lunch meat
• grape tomatoes

• lettuce
• pickles
• olive

Instructions

1. Cut up cubes of bread, cheese, and lunch meat (we ordered 1/2-inch-thick slices of ham and turkey at the deli counter).
2. Slide the cubes onto a skewer with other foods your child likes, such as a grape tomato, a piece of lettuce, a pickle, or an olive.
3. Set out a side of mayo or mustard for dippin.

Introduce your kids to the art of sushi rolling with these easy sandwiches. The tortilla does double duty as a rolling mat and a tasty wrapper.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked sushi rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

• 4 sheets nori, or 2 cups spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut lengthwise into 4 spears (we used the European variety)
• 1 (8-ounce) package imitation crabmeat
• Soy sauce packets

for more fun School lunch Ideas click on the following links

FUN SANDWICHES

FUN SALADS

FUN FRUIT SNACKS

FUN TREATS

Back to School time is upon us already! Soon, those yellow buses will be out everywhere and it is important as caregivers AND as motorists that safety be a top priority. Here are some tips to remember, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Parents [and Au Pairs, too!]

• If your children’s bus stop is not near your home, walk the route to that stop with them until they are familiar with it.

• Make sure your child knows what time the bus is scheduled to arrive and make sure he or she gets to the stop early, so the child can avoid rushing. Children in a rush are less likely to follow safety practices.

Children

• Wait for the bus in a safe place. Avoid horseplay that could cause you to fall into the street.

• Never run to or from the bus.

• Do not push or shove when getting on or off the bus.

• Learn about the “danger zone.” That’s a 10-foot wide area on all sides of the bus, where the driver cannot see you. When you get off the bus, step outside of the danger zone until you can see the driver’s face.

• Only cross in front of the bus where the driver can see you.

• Never run behind the bus, or bend down to pick up an object. The bus driver may think you’ve crossed safely and start to move.

• Do not distract the bus driver so that he/she may get you safely to and from school.

Motorists

• Drivers traveling in either direction on a two-lane road must stop when a school bus activates its flashing lights and stop sign.

• Drivers traveling in the same direction as a school bus on a four-lane road must stop for a stopped school bus. Drivers travelling in the opposite direction are not required to stop.

• Pennsylvania law requires vehicles to stop even when the bus is stopped to load/unload students on private property.

• Anyone convicted of passing a stopped school bus can be fined as much as $230for the first offense, and as much as $575 for the second offense. The individual will also have their license suspended for between 1 and 12 months.

School Bus Laws

• If a school bus has stopped and is operating the alternately flashing red lights, all drivers meeting, orovertaking the school bus shall stop at least 20 feet from the school bus.

• Motorists may not proceed until the school bus either turns off the flashing red lights or resumes motion. This law does not apply to motorists on a divided highway, if the school bus is on the opposite side of a divided highway from the motorist. A divided highway means a highway that is divided into two or more roadways by an intervening space or barrier, such as a concrete or grassy median.

• School bus drivers may report a violation of the above code section.

• Only a vehicle registered as a Class M vehicle, that is used to transport children between one or more schools or licensed child care centers or to and from designated areas and is designed for carrying 15 passengers or less must have seat belts and or child safety seats for each of the occupants as required by Maryland’s child safety seat laws.

Current School Zone Laws

• In general, the Code sets certain speed limit maximums, depending upon on the particular roadway, which is applicable to both public and private school zones.

• 30 mph in business districts and on undivided highways in residential districts.

• 50 mph on undivided highways, other than in residential districts.

• 55 mph on divided highways.

However, the Code also provides either the State Highway Administration or a local authority the ability to establish a school zone around any school and set maximum speed limits for that particular school zone.

• School zones must be designated by signs and may include flashing lights.

• Signs designating a school zone indicate the maximum speed limit applicable.

• A sign may also be posted indicating that fines for speeding in the school zone are doubled.

• In a school zone where a crossing guard is posted, the maximum may not exceed 35 mph during the hours posted on the sign.

Top 10 Tips

1. Start planning early and get the teens and tweens involved.  What is the theme of the trip — seeing family? relaxing at the beach?  exploring a national park?  soaking in history?  a Disney escapade?   Each family vacation has its own personality.  If you want history but teens and tweens want thrill rides its a lot better to negotiate early and get aligned on what the family is doing.  The worst distraction on any family vacation is the disaffected, disinterested teen.  They will be much more engaged if they have a had a big impact on shaping the plan.
2. Take teen and tween personal space requirements seriously.  It may have been fine to jam everyone into one motel room when the kids were young but expecting teens and tweens to share beds may be unrealistic.  Consider house or condo rentals as they can often be more relaxing and cheaper than hotels while offering more privacy and space that can keep distractions from sibling disagreements to a minimum.  They often have multiple bathrooms – another plus if you have a teenage girl in your midst!
3. If renting a vehicle, make sure you have enough room in back.  Teens and tweens take up a lot more space than toddlers.  Don’t ask them to squeeze into back seats you wouldn’t sit in yourself.  Particularly if you are planning a lot of driving, the comfort of the back seat passengers will minimize complaints from the peanut gallery.  Remember too, teen and tween suitcases fill up fast so make sure you have enough room for all the luggage.  Even a family of 4 might benefit from an SUV!
4. Be flexible and give teens and tweens activity options.  The more they get to pick activities the more engaged they will be.  Of course, every trip will have some mandatory stops whether it is grandma’s house or Mount Rushmore.  But in between – let the teens pick between a day at the beach or a hike in the woods.  Let them pick the burger restaurant with the singing waitresses over fancy food. If you do a good job with research ahead of time, and ask the locals for pointers as well, you’ll know what options you are willing to let them consider.
5. Be realistic about electronics.  While its nice to think that a vacation means leaving electronics behind, the reality is that many teens and tweens will be happier if they can check in on facebook or send a text from time to time.  With teens and tweens the meaning of life centers on connections with friends.  Set expectations and negotiate up front.  Our experience is that if they know they get to connect in with buddies regularly they are less distracted when they are offline.  Realize that if mom is tweeting from the road or posting to her blog it is pretty hard to tell the kids they can’t do so as well.
6. Pick some activities where they can explore on their own.  Even teens and tweens that don’t hang out  together at home will instantly bond if it means they get some independence.  Whether its letting them do their own thing at a mall for an hour or visiting a waterpark where they can run wild on the waterslides, teens and tweens enjoy the opportunity to do their own thing without mom and dad on top of them.  And surprisingly,  parents might just enjoy some time to talk one on one as well.  As the saying goes, absence makes the heart from fonder.
7. Make sure they pack appropriate clothing.  Many parents of teens and tweens expect their kids to pack their own bags.  The risk here is that your teen overlooks things like raincoats or hiking boots and ends up with too many tee shirts and not enough underwear.  Don’t assume teens and tweens know what to bring, so don’t be afraid to look over their shoulders or take responsibility for doing some of the packing yourself.  A little supervision up front will avoid loads of distractions later when everyone is set for an adventure only to find that one member of the party is missing a critical piece of gear.
8. Set music and video ground rules early.  Will mom and dad pick the tunes for the first hour of the drive- then the teens?  Will each teen or tween get equal time?  Or will the teens and tweens resort to headphones for the whole trip.  Wasting time and energy arguing about music and videos on the road is pointless so get it out of the way early.
9. Let them sleep in sometimes.  Teens and tweens need their sleep.  Build in a morning or two when they can ease into the day at their own pace.  If mom and dad are up early they can go for a walk or find Starbucks.  A well rested, cheerful teen is a wonderful thing!
10. Feed them regularly.  Teens and tweens seem to need food constantly.  At the same time, they may not eat as big a breakfast as mom and dad (because they were not really awake at breakfast time) so they may be starving when mom and dad are still full.  Make sure there are opportunities for healthy snacks.  Keeping an eye on energy levels is a  great way to ensure that everyone is cheerful and helps to avoid cranky distractions.

Distraction free family vacations with teens and tweens takes planning, negotiation, and an appreciation of the fact that they are no longer kids who will dutifully go along with whatever mom and dad say.   With the right attitude, family vacations with teens and tweens can make memories for a lifetime.

MaryT is a fairly new member to TwitterMoms but is finding their new travel channel is a great place to hang out and meet new family travel tweeps and bloggers!  Check out all the other great Top 10 tip lists on their site as well.

One easy way to keep your kids busy is by reading aloud to them!  Research shows that children who read or are read to for 20 minutes a day do better in school.  Even children as young as six months old can benefit from being reading and looking at books. 

Read to your host kids in English to help you practice your language skills, and read to them in your own language too, to expose them to a second language early.  Reading together can be a great activity before nap, bedtime or even just on a rainy day!  This can also be a good thing to suggest for the kids to do to keep busy while you clean up from lunch or even if you need a few minutes to run to the bathroom!

The following information comes from “The More You Know“:

BUILDING READING SKILLS IN CHILDREN

Reading aloud, introducing print materials to your children and encouraging positive reading experiences all have a beneficial effect on a child’s learning and literacy. Children who are read to at least three times a week are almost twice as likely to score in the top 25 percent in reading than those who are read to less than three times a week. As a result, reading to kids can have lasting effects on their educational level in the future.

Literacy starts at an early age; parents should begin reading to their child at six months of age. Infants learn most through sight and sound, reading facial expressions and movements. Therefore it is important to gesture, talk, smile, and sing to young children. They will eventually recognize that the words have specific meanings. Also, introduce children to books when they are babies- soft, washable books or touch and feel stories are a great way to introduce a child to reading in a way that is fun and interesting.

As infants grow into toddlers, parents should engage them in conversation about different objects, pointing out colors, names and shapes. Books with rhymes and poems help peak children’s interest and also familiarize them with words and phrases. As a child begins school, parents should expand their library to include books with more words rather than pictures.

Around the age of four, children will begin to sound out words on their own. If they want to try reading themselves, encourage them. While most children are reading by the age of seven, each child begins developing reading skills at different times. Parents should not be discouraged if their children are reading at a later age- keep encouraging them and remain positive.

Knowledge about reading and writing go together; as children learn one, they are learning the other. When kids are toddlers, give them crayons and paper to write on. Drawing at an early age helps build muscle control, and soon your child will begin to write letters. Eventually, with the help of teachers and parents, children begin to learn the correct spelling of words. Therefore, reading skills are only a part of a larger learning process that progresses from talking, listening, reading and eventually to writing.

WHAT YOU CAN DO…

Learning to read starts in the home. By creating a comfortable atmosphere for children to read, parents can influence their learning abilities for the future. Here are a few tips that will help develop your child’s reading skills and foster an environment that makes learning both fun and interesting for your child.

• Set aside time
  Try to read to your child everyday for 30 minutes. At first, read for only a few minutes at a time for several times a day, the gradually increase reading sessions as your child grows older.

• Make it visual
  Point to words as you read them in order to familiarize your child with what different words look like.

• Be enthusiastic
  Read various kinds of stories to your child, using different voices and changing your intonation in order to make the story more exciting. Singing the lyrics is also a good way to keep the attention of infants and toddlers.

• Repeat
  Read your child’s favorite stories over and over again.

• Keep a collection
  Make sure your home has plenty of reading materials that are age-appropriate for your child. Keep a collection of books, magazines and newspapers available in the house.

• Involve your child
  Talk to your child about what you are reading; point out objects in pictures and talk about what is going on in the story. When your child gets old enough, ask questions as to what is going to happen next, what objects are in the pictures, and point out new words. Remember not to stop too often that your child forgets what is going on in the story.

• Set a good example
  Show your children that reading is important to you as well. Read books yourself and ask your child to join you.

• Visit the library
  Take trips to the library with your child and let them pick out a book for story time.

• Read everything
  Reading is not just limited to books. Read street signs, cereal boxes, letters - anything you and your child see throughout the day.

LIBRARIES STORY TIMES ON THE MAINLINE

Story Time
Bala Cynwyd Library
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.
Registration Required.
Call (610) 664-1196 to sign up.

All ages.

Story Time with Miss Gwen
Belmont Hills Library
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.
All ages.

Story Time
Bala Cynwyd Library
Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
Registration Required.
Call (610) 664-1196 to sign up.

All ages.

Story Time
Penn Wynne Library
Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m.
Ages 1 - 3.

Story Time
Bala Cynwyd Library
Fridays at 10:30 a.m.
Registration Required.
Call (610) 664-1196 to sign up.

All ages.

Story Time with Miss Gail
Ardmore Library
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.Ages 0 - 3.

Story Time with Laurent
Bala Cynwyd Library
Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
Registration Required.
Call (610) 664-1196 to sign up.

All ages.

Story Time with Laurent
Bala Cynwyd Library
Thursdays at 3:00 p.m.
Registration Required.
Call (610) 664-1196 to sign up.

All ages.

Story Time
Penn Wynne Library
Thursdays at 4:00 p.m.
Ages 3 - 5.

Story Time with Miss Gail

Ardmore Library
Mondays at 10:30 a.m (except 2/15)
Ages 0 - 3.

Think Before You Post!

As social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and others continue to dominate the way that so many of us are communicating, it’s important to make sure that personal safety is kept in mind when sharing information.  As much as we may think we are simply communicating with our “friends” online, there are ways that the information you share can be accessed by an entirely unintended audience.  Here are a few helpful tips to share with your au pairs to help keep them safe:

] Do not upload photos which show the outside of the host family home or provide any indication of where they live (i.e., mailbox, license plate #, street signs)

] Do not announce when you and your host family will be away on vacation.  Wait until everyone returns so that you don’t make their home vulnerable in any way.

] Do not post pictures of the host children anywhere, even if you are in the photo, unless you have permission from both host parents

] Do not post personal information such as your email address, phone number, or address online

] Remember that when you post a comment or share an update, this information (even if not written in English) is now public and it can be viewed, read, and shared by anyone who gains access.  This includes your natural family, host family, and even LCC!

Social media sites can be a great way to connect and share information, but it’s important for au pairs to always consider their own safety, proceed with caution and think before they post!

As a company that prides itself on customer service we really listen and take notice of our customers.

I wanted to share a  blog with you that I am happy to say is  as Happy host family of mine

The Rix Family

Sierra Rix  is an avid writer and  published an article on her happy experience as a Host Mom. Click on the link below to hear more about how having an Au pair has changed her life..

http://www.themomreviews.com/2010/03/moms-most-wanted-accessory-extra-set-of.html