It seems that party gift bags have become the new normal – at least enough of the time to warrant the internal-discussion whether to join the bandwagon or not. When I was a kid, I don’t remember ever getting a gift bag when leaving a birthday party, or whatever. The party was the gift – if it was a good one you were spent and didn’t need anymore.

But times have changed. If it turns out most of your kid’s friends have parents that make the effort to put together post party gift bags, or even if your friends put together the bags after a Christmas or other party event, you should too.

But don’t despair, there are quick and easy ways to put together a fun bag of gifty tidbits. It doesn’t have to break the bank either. Some of you out there are certainly crafty and industrious enough to whip up something from scratch for the bags. However, if you’re like me, it’s virtually impossible to squeeze one more thing into the schedule.

So, for those of you out there who need some gift ideas that are affordable and quick, we’ve compiled 5 perfect gift bag suggestions. Here they are:

Custom pens – Especially good for the kids. Who doesn’t love a new pen? For a minimal cost you can get a special message printed on the pen to remind the guests of the date.

Stickers – You absolutely cannot go wrong in a child’s mind with stickers. It’s kind of the same with temporary tattoos, but stickers seem to hold a particularly special charm with small children.

Art supplies – Anything goes from crayons to paper pads and water color paints or play doh. Sidewalk chalk is another great creative conduit. I’d include markers, but that’s probably something that should be cleared with other parents first, so maybe not the best idea for a gift bag.

Treats – Small candies or baked goods are fine here. After a birthday party of rich cake and ice cream perhaps a more healthful choice for the gift bag would be appropriate as well. Perhaps a toothbrush could be tossed in as an extra.

Kaleidoscopes – Several companies manufacture really fun small-scale kaleidoscopes that are perfect for party bags. The colorful, rolling shapes of a kaleidoscope have endeared children for generations.

Any of these gift ideas are sure to be appreciated by your children’s friends. And who doesn’t love to send a child away smiling after a good time was had by all?

Be as Specific as Possible

Know what you’re talking about and try to be as specific as you are comfortable being. Instead of just telling a young lady that she will need to start shaving under her arms, lead into the conversation gently with some facts about what is happening to her body. She probably has some questions that she’s wanted to ask and she needs to know that everything happening to her is completely normal and that her feelings are valid.

Remain Age Appropriate

Make your conversation age-appropriate. An unfortunate fact of life in the modern world is that children are starting puberty at younger ages. The average age for a young woman to start menstruating was 14 in 1900, and now the average age is 12. Many 9 year old’s are experiencing symptoms of puberty. A child starting puberty will need to have information presented to them in a different way than a teenager would.

Ask for Input

Ask them about their feelings on the subject, so that your child can choose the product they want to use. Chances are, there is a favorite body-wash, deodorant, cologne or training bra that is popular at school and peer pressure being what it is, your child will probably want that type.

Use Gentle Reminders

Remind them of what they need to do, but not when other people are around. Just like you had to remind them to brush their teeth and make their bed when they were younger, you might also need to remind them to use deodorant. And when they forget, it’s a good idea to put travel size containers of deodorant and body wipes in purses, backpacks or lockers. After a mile around the track when it’s 95 degrees, they’ll thank you.

Take Some Time Out

And lastly, just as you probably celebrated your child’s first steps and first words, their first day of school and their first sleepover…celebrate puberty. Your son or daughter is taking the first steps towards maturity and that is worthy of celebration. A party isn’t necessary, but a nice dinner and an observance of the change that is occurring could make your child see that they can always come to you. It’s a difficult time for a child, but pointing out the positive aspects of puberty can have a lasting effect on how they see themselves.

Puberty, and the changes that go with it, can be difficult for parents and children alike to deal with.

However; it has been proven that families that have clear communication about challenging topics stand a better chance of making it through the difficult adolescent years unscathed. This may be the first conversation on a subject like this that you share, but it should not be your last.

About the Author: Tamela Longo enjoys helping parents communicate with their children. When she’s not helping her children, she’s often helping others learn to use online fax services and other online programs.

Guidelines For Halloween Safety at Any Age

It’s an oldie, but a goodie….Don’t take candy from strangers. That means that kids and teenagers alike should only go to the homes of people they are familiar with and to homes that are well-lit. An obvious exception to that would be if you are going to be with them the whole time or if it’s a facility of some sort that has been set up to allow trick-or-treating.

• Kids need to remember that no matter how good the popcorn ball or fudge looks, it’s never safe or okay to eat the homemade treat of someone that is not known by the family. Homemade Halloween treats aren’t as common as they once were, but they are still seen often enough that it should be discussed in advance.

• Homemade costumes are really fun to make and it’s neat to see the different ideas that are shown. However, costumes still need to be safe and comfortable. Trash bags may make a great canvas for Halloween art, but they can make it hard to see a kid crossing the street in the dark.

• Kids need to be reminded to not eat candy until mom or dad has the chance to look at it to make sure it’s safe. Some communities offer free x-rays of the candy to make sure that your little one can give themselves a safe stomachache later.

• Kids and teenagers alike should be careful to stay in well-lit environments. That means that even when everyone is in a familiar neighborhood, alleys and dark areas should be avoided. Teenagers in particular may need to be reminded of this fact, since parks that are closed in the evening can look like a great place to hang-out, but being there after dark could be both unsafe and illegal.

Halloween is a holiday that is fun for everyone involved. The kids love to dress up and to get candy, parents love to watch their kids in their costumes, and even people without children at home get to experience the joy through a child’s eyes. Appropriate precautions and the right conversations can make sure that your son or daughter will be able to enjoy many Halloweens to come.

About the Author: Kari Stringer loves Halloween and strives to make it as safe as possible for her 4 children. When she’s not hanging out with her kids, she can be found watching the UFX Markets and studying the economy.

So to satisfy my little Goth’s request for a Dracula Cake this Halloween, I’ve been on a mission to find the easiest recipe for Dracula cake out there. And here it is (adapted from Piece of Cake Decorating):

Ingredients:

2 10 inch round cakes (to get into the spirit of things, use Red Velvet)
Green, black, yellow/gold and white buttercream icing
4 Tips # 5 – *Ready-made black is better, as mixing your own is extremely difficult!

*** Tip*** If you do not have four #5 tips, do not worry. You will get the same effect using tips #4 or 6. If you do not want to use a tip at all, just cut the end of the piping bag to size. It will work just as well but your lines will not be as tight. This techniques works best for piping the eyes and nose because of their shape.

Directions:

1. Level, tort and fill the cakes. They can be placed on a 12 or 14 inch cake board. In this picture, the cake is placed on a large cake board (in the pic, Pillsbury Pumpkin Sugar Cookies scattered around for added decoration). Ice the cake with your green buttercream icing.

2. Using a toothpick, outline the vampire’s hair. Next, using tip #5 and black buttercream icing, pipe the outline of the hair and fill in with tight lines.

***Tip*** To smooth out the striped effect you get from filling in an outline using a piping bag, simply put a little cornstarch on your finger and gently pat it flat. Most of the cornstarch will fade into the icing but the excess can be brushed away with a decorating brush.

3. Using tip # 5 and yellow icing, pipe the eyes on the cake. Add the pupils using the extra black icing.

4. Using tip # 5 and green icing, pipe the nose. Next, add the mouth and eyebrows with the left over black icing and the teeth (tip #5) with white icing.

As with most cake mixes, do be aware that monosodium glutamate will be used, an additive helps to bring out natural flavors and make it taste better. Despite many reports from amateurs to the contrary, this is a completely safe ingredient to use- as affirmed by the FDA and many other regulators and scientific agencies around the world.

Fruits

We all know that fruit is the best thing to give our kids. Luckily my three kids love the stuff, although they have varying tastes (my girl loves pineapple, the boys don’t!). Bananas, apples and oranges are the most popular, and so are mangoes. Just yesterday, even baby Wills joined in by wolfing down half a mango in record time.

I’m not really a fan of frozen or canned fruit, but I do buy those mandarin oranges in plastic containers as my son likes to take it to school. Fresh is the best way to go I say, and organic if you can. If you can’t, make sure to wash the fruit with a natural “fruit and veggie” wash and peel it well.

I have to admit though that if I have to buy fruit at the supermarket, I sometimes have difficulty discerning which fruit is good, which isn’t. Isn’t it annoying when you buy a melon that looks perfectly decent, you open it up and it turns out to be tasteless or worse, sour?

Here’s some good advice I found:

Apples: Look for firmness. Brown or tan “scald” marks don’t affect taste, but soft bruises that are discolored indicate damage.

• Avocados: Available year-round, as they are grown in Florida and California. Choose slightly soft fruit, or if bought unripe, allow three to five days at room temperature to ripen. Refrigeration slows ripening.

• Bananas: Best eaten when yellow with brown speckles. Bananas get damaged below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, so never refrigerate.

• Blueberries: In season from May to September. Look for uniform color and plumpness; avoid oozing berries.

• Grapefruit: This fruit is sold ready-to-eat; avoid fruit that is too soft (a sign of decay). Scratches and spots on the peel don’t usually indicate that anything’s wrong.

• Grapes: Select those with green, pliable stems that the grapes don’t fall off of easily — a sign that the grapes themselves are fresh.

• Kiwi: It’s ripe when it yields to the touch but doesn’t leave indentations.

• Melons: A stem that’s still attached may indicate the fruit isn’t ripe. With cantaloupe, avoid those with an overly yellow color and a soft skin, which indicates overripeness. Sniff for a sweet, pleasing smell. Most cantaloupes require two to four days to ripen at room temperature at home.

• Oranges: Should be heavy, indicating juiciness. Brown mottles on Florida or Texas oranges are common and don’t affect flavor.

• Peaches: In season from May to September. Very hard peaches are unlikely to ripen. Choose freestone varieties for eating.

• Pears: Should be firm but slightly soft. Their color depends on the type: Bartletts should be pale to rich yellow, while Boscs are brownish yellow. Shriveled pears will not ripen.

• Raspberries: Stains on the container may indicate mushy or moldy berries inside. Berries should not have their caps attached.

• Strawberries: In peak supply in May and June. Look for the cap stem still attached, and avoid fruit with white shoulders or large discolored patches.

Photo via plumandjello

Organized Mom

I have never been one of those people you’d call “super” organized. But after having my third child early this year, I’ve found that one of the best ways to keep my sanity, and for things to run (relatively) smoothly in my growing household is to try and be as organized as I possibly can. That’s always been a rather daunting word in my vocabulary as no matter how hard I try, there is always some amount of chaos in my home.

But with the “busiest” time of the year upon us, and indeed, a New Year a mere month or so away, its a good time to start, and for somewhat disorganized Moms like myself, the first thing I would do is to create a Weekly Schedule and Menu. I promise, its worked wonders for me! Here’s how:

Tip 1 For the Disorganized: The Weekly Schedule

1. Every Sunday, I set aside about half an hour to make our weekly schedule and menu. I take a cookbook or two and sit with my laptop for about half an hour at a time when the kids are busy (a dvd is a good idea) or better, napping.

2. For simplicity sake, I make a chart like above (sorry I haven’t been able to scan mine!) section off each day onto 3 sections. Morning, afternoon, evening. Each day having its own column.

3. First, I put in the family activities for the week. For example:

Monday- Morning -Oliver has no class/ Cat grooming at vet 11 a.m.
Afternoon – Boys playgroup @ home 3 pm./ Nat, gymnastics 4.30
Evening- Mark (hubby), meeting, home late

4. Then, with my cookbooks (or online), I look for meal ideas for the week and type them in the appropriate time. With the activities of the family already there, I know who’ll be around for what meal (and snacks), and best of all, I can make the weekly grocery list, knowing exactly what I need, which helps keep me in budget. I also look at previous weeks menus (kept neatly in my desktop file), to see what worked well and what didn’t.

5. Edit, print and stick it on the fridge. And voila! The family is set for a week of organized bliss.

Photo via Lullaby Mom

Having experienced medical emergencies as a volunteer which developed my abilities to recognize life-threatening and trivial injuries, just hope more people would recognize this as a vital skill to have for it helps you lower your insurance premiums. Do some research on the web for health tips that can add to your knowledge of which emergencies to treat seriously and which are mere casual. Information and knowledge is the key, the more trips you take to the ER, the more a risk you are for the insurance firm so they have the option to ask more for insurance.

My four-year-old Ollie gets a bump/wound/scratch almost daily, and a few months ago had a bad accident in our garden where he cut his head open and was rushed to the ER. While playing with his big sister, he fell through the fence constructed by our handyman and nearly fell into our pool (which had just been cleaned out and empty). He was grabbed just in time by the handyman, so didn’t fall into the pool but slammed his head on the tile. My husband saw the whole thing and was going to kill the handyman for his shoddy work (it wasn’t nailed in properly), but he did save Ollie’s life…so it was a hard one. Luckily Ollie didn’t need stitches and aside from my husband being covered in blood ala Carrie, it turned out to be a minor injury. It could have been much much worse though, so we are grateful and have since taken extra precautions to make sure that all areas in our home were safe. Ollie was feeing a bit traumatized for the next few days (as were all of us), but I think he’s recovered now.

Here are some great tips from After The Injury, a really useful website for parents who have to deal with their child’s injuries. Whether your child’s injury is big or small, it helps to remember these things so that your child recovers faster.

While doctors know that injury prevention is the best “medicine,” the sad truth is that kids still do get hurt- lots of them- even with the most vigilant parents. In fact, 9.2 million children are treated in an emergency room for an injury each year, making it equally important for parents to know how to handle what happens after the injury.

1. Let your child know that he or she is safe. In the first days and weeks following an injury many children fear that something bad might happen to them again. Learn more about helping your child with new fears or worries.

2. Allow children to talk about their feelings and worries, if they want to. Let your child know that it’s ok to feel a little upset. The circumstances of an injury can be frightening, and it’s not always easy to know how to talk with your child about it. Here are some things that other parents have found helpful for talking with their child.

3. Go back to normal routines. It is important to help your child get plenty of sleep, eat regular meals, keep up with schoolwork, and spend time with friends. Here are some options to consider if the injury gets in the way of things s/he used to do.

4. Increase time with family and friends. Children who get support from family and friends seem to do better in recovering after upsetting events. Try reading together, playing games, or watching movies together. Listen to what some parents had to say about how to help their children remain connected after an injury.

5. Take time to deal with your own feelings. In addition to all of the things you do to help your child, it’s important to remember to take good care of yourself. Learn more about your own reactions and get tips for taking care of yourself.

6. Keep in mind people in the same family can react in different ways. Your child’s feelings and worries about the injury might be different from yours. It’s important to monitor how your child is doing and when reactions might signal trouble. Learn how to gauge your child’s emotional recovery and identify any reactions that might need special attention.

Visit After the Injury to read full tip sheets, learn more about child injury and pain care, take a quiz to rate your child’s reactions to injury, and create a personalized care plan to help parents help their child recover from injury.

Photo via Ramberg Media

It’s sale season! My favorite time of the year to hit the stores and stock up with some great buys for the whole family (especially Mom!).

Now I’m the first to admit that children and shopping work together about as well as oil and water, but if the circumstances dictate that you must take them to that unmissable-department-store-sale to get that pair of jeans you’ve been lusting for (now half price!), there are some things you can do to avoid meltdown and hopefully snag a few good purchases as well.

Read on, shoppers:

1. Set The Ground Rules – Ahead of time, it’s important to lay down the law. Tell them where you are going, what the plan is and what you intend to buy. Keep it simple and tell them how you expect them to behave. For example: no asking to buy things (gimmies), no fighting and no whining. If they stick to the rules, at the end of the trip they will get a small toy at the toy department, or perhaps an ice cream. If not, it’s straight home and no television all afternoon.

2. Be Prepared – Bring distractions like a portable toy, snacks and water. An extra change of clothes, baby wipes and tissues are essential too.

3. Have a Plan – Depending on the ages and number of children accompanying you ( I can handle my 6, 3 year old or baby alone no problem, together it’s a bit of a nightmare, so I solicit help from a shopping partner like my sister, Mom), it’s important to have a plan – meaning an objective on what you need to purchase. This is not the time for leisurely browsing through the sale bins (I wish!). So for instance, I make a list ahead of time: jeans for Nat, socks for Wills, pajamas for Ollie, birthday present for Dad, white shirt for me and so on. This way you won’t waste unnecessary time, which means less chance of a meltdown.

4. Be Early - Avoid afternoon crowds and weekends like you would the plague. Whether or not I’m shopping with my little ones, I like to be there at opening time if possible. No crowds, fresh (and patient) salespeople, and if at a sale, first pick.

5. Take A Pit Stop (or two) - If the shopping trip involves multiple stops or a large venue (like a big department store or mall), stop once or twice to give the kids a breather. I like to take my kids to either a coffee shop for snacks, a playground (many malls have this) or a craft area. Some of these craft/play areas also let you leave your kids there for a fee – just make sure the place is secure, there is ample adult supervision, and that they can easily reach you in case of emergency.

6. Get them Involved - Older kids can read the list and help you find the items, smaller ones can help put items in the cart or counter. Either way, letting them feel like they’re a a part of it makes the experience fun.

Photo via theburied.life