Oh,no!!! Summer is here!

With summer creeping near, are you gritting your teeth? I know I am! I never understood what the big deal was for parents when their kids go back to school, until I spent a summer with Mileena at home. By the end of the summer I wanted to pull my hair out. I was out of ideas on how to entertain my child and I was not about to let her sit in front of the television all day. If you are like me and want to keep your kids busy, hopefully, I will be able to provide you with a few low cost ideas that I have done with my kids. One way to stay busy would be to sit down with your kids and make a list of all things that you all would like to do over the summer then start marking them off!

Every summer, I get a play date going with some stay at home moms and once a week we met at a park or splash park. Pack a lunch and head out. Go on a walk and collect items to make an art project with. Go on a nature walk and see how many different bugs you can find. Take a picture of the bugs and look them up online if you don't know what they are. Check with your local library and get a schedule of activities that may be available during the summer. Either way, the library is a great place to let your children's imaginations run free. Let them sit down and read a book at the library. If you don't feel like going out, pack a lunch, grab a blanket, and have a picnic in your own yard.  Gardening is something that kids love to do. Let them water your plants, pull off the dead leaves, and help you replant the ones that have outgrown their pots. I don't know if all children are like this, but mine love to help me clean. If you are worried about the chemicals in products, make your own products with harmless ingredients; the kids could help with that too. One of my favorite traditions that I had growing up was that we would go on 'adventures'. My mother would load all of us in the car and not tell us where we were going. Once it was having dinner on the beach while watching the sunset, another time was simply riding our bikes on the county trail, but the best one was when we went to Disney. Keep it a surprise! My kids love the 'adventures' that we take and yours will too.

I believe the most important thing that you can do with your children is to keep them on a schedule. With some exceptions, put your kids to bed on time. When it's time to wake up, eat breakfast, get ready for the day, do your chores and then have fun! My mother always kept us kids on a routine and taught us that it is not all fun and games. You have to take care of your responsibilities first and then you can have as much fun as you want. Let your kids be creative. Ask them for ideas that would cost a low amount of money. Here is a list of a few websites with activities that can keep you busy all summer long.

• Earth Day Activities - http://www.kafamilyessentials.com/index.php/2013/04/11/10-familyfriendly-earth-day-activities/
• Treasure Hunt - http://boysgerms.com.au/2012/08/alphabet-treasure-hunt/
• For a Rainy Day - http://mamasoncall.com/2012/01/mamas-love-this-rainy-day-idea/
• Toddler Exploration - http://www.playcreateexplore.com/p/activites-for-ages-1-3.html
• Science Experiments - http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments.html
• Many, many more - http://lifeasleels.com/2013/04/74-days-of-summer-activities-part-1.htm 

Keep your kids active and plan the best summer of their lives!!! 

Funny Conversations

Children's conversations can be quite entertaining. With our lives being so busy all the time, as parents we don't take the time to truly appreciate our children. Take a moment and have an entire conversation with your children. It might amaze you at how intelligent, creative and funny kids can be. Let me brighten your day with a few conversations that I have had with my children. I have a 3 year old son that is all boy, his name is Tre. When driving, a lot of times I leave off the radio just to talk to my kids. One day on the way to Preschool, out of the blue my son says, "Mommy, I like to fart." My initial reaction was that farting is disgusting and that I can't believe my husband is teaching him that it is funny. In all honesty, farts are funny to everyone as long as your not the one smelling it. So, I replied, "That is kind of gross. Why do you like to fart?" Tre, as innocently as a 3 year old can, says, "Because, I fart in my bedroom, I fart in Meena's bedroom, and I fart in Daddy's bedroom. I like to fart!" Though this is not the most profound conversation, this little boy put a smile on my face.

Procrastination is my middle name and though I try to teach my children differently, I always seem to be helping daughter, Mileena, memorize her bible verses on the way to church. I am very fortunate in the fact that my daughter is very advanced and is able to memorize them in the 45 minute car ride. What I did not realize though is how smart Tre is. Being the second child, I did not take the time to teach him things as much as I did with my daughter. When Mileena got stuck on a verse, after a moment of silence, Tre starts to say the verse. Let me be clear, it was not just a verse, it was a Psalm of David and is 6 verses long. I was amazed at how he retained the information when I thought that he was not paying attention to either one of us. 

Take the time to converse with your children. While driving, turn off the radio. When tucking them in bed, stay a little while and ask them questions. When you ask questions, listen intently and ask questions to go deeper into the conversation. I think that too many parents do not really know what is going on in their children's lives. If you start the communication when young, they will continue to talk as teens. They just might teach you a few things along the way. Did you know that Pandas are not bears, but infact are related to racoons? If you did, you are one smart cookie. I did not know that. It was Mileena that taught me that information. Children will open your eyes to a whole new world.