Brenda Hyde, Publisher of FAMILY Magazine

We were blasted!

2011-11-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

FAMILY Deals finally blasted off and is rolling right along. Have you checked it out yet?
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/familydeals/

Now that the site is launched, I have finally come up for air. This morning I was catching up with my emails and I came across a great article on the value of "fans" on Facebook. They placed the value of a "fan" from $3.60 to $136 annually. The article is very interesting.

Be sure to let me know what you think of our new deal site and have a great fall!

New Member of our FAMILY

2011-10-23T03:54:00.000-07:00

The newest member of our FAMILY – our FAMILY Deals website – is in the last phases of its launch sequence. We’re so excited. Just a few more days, and we’ll have the Deals you’re looking for on the best parenting products and services in the DC area! While we prepare for blast off, be sure to check out our Cutest Kid in Washington contest – just click this link!

If you want more info for the FAMILY Deals, here is a link for that.

Welcoming a new member of the FAMILY is such hard, rewarding work. We did it all for you bargain hunters out there.

Steve Job's Passing

2011-10-06T02:23:00.000-07:00

I got up this morning and turned on my Mac computer to find out that the man who invented it, Steve Jobs had died. I took out my iPhone and texted my daughter. Steve Jobs changed my life.

Without the Mac computer I probably would not have started FAMILY Magazine. It was only because I could figure out how to create a magazine on my computer without a programming degree that I was able to create the magazine without any special training. I learned everything I know about computers by figuring them out by myself. Mac made that possible. I love Mac computers.

I share Job’s view of how you should view your life purpose. He said in his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, “The only way to do great work is to do what you love.” He was right. He did love his work and he did great work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

I love what I do. I am not sure if what I do is considered “great work” but I really do love doing it.

So it is with sadness I view Job’s passing. He was truly a great visionary. I have heard his address to Stanford several times. If you have not seen or heard it, you really should watch it. He closes with a story about the Whole Earth Catalog. I remember the Whole Earth Catalog and when I started FAMILY Magazine I had the thought that if they could publish Whole Earth Catalog, I could publish a magazine as well.

Steve Jobs ended his speech at Stanford with the final quote from Whole Earth Catalog, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.” This is great advice for a young person just starting out. I would add, find your passion.

Steve, we will miss you and your innovation.

Brenda

Family Magazine Trivia #4

2011-04-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

FAMILY Magazine 20th Anniversary Trivia

The very first printed issue of FAMILY Magazine was the April 1992 issue. It was printed the end of March at a printing company in Silver Spring, Maryland. We had 26 advertisers. Over the next 20 years we have printed 18,704,000 copies of FAMILY Magazine, and have had over 48,000 advertisers. We have printed over 800 guides and resource lists. There have been 18 Best for Families surveys. We have sales people who have moved to locations all over the United States and now work for other parenting publications. This is a great job if you are a mom!

Over the years there have been 24 babies born to our employees (our family), many of these while working for FAMILY Magazine. Our most recent addition was a beautiful baby girl born to Annette Cooper who now lives in New York City.

When we first started FAMILY, we only sold print advertising. It was simple, buy an advertisement and be in front of the moms who read our printed magazine. Now, in addition to print advertising, we sell a completely integrated marketing plan that contains many different tools to help companies communicate with moms who are interested in getting the best for their family. We sell online advertisements, Web Tags with landing pages, blog sponsorships, coupons, eBlasts, contest sponsorships and a whole range of tools for social networking. The advertising world has changed and we have been leading the way with every change in technology.

We were the very first publication in this region to have Microsoft Web Tags that made our print magazine interactive. In fact, USA Today did not launch their Web Tag features until February of this year. We have been utilizing them since July of last year. Look for these fun tools throughout the magazine.

Time has flown since that first year, and a great deal has happened. FAMILY Magazine continues to work to be there as a great resource for parents in the Washington region. We sincerely appreciate all our readers and all our advertisers. They are the reason we are here, and it has been a whole lot of fun!

The Big $Party Cash Giveaway

2011-04-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

I know you have heard it before but we are celebrating our 20th Anniversary all year long April is the actual month we first published so we are trying to make it a bit more exciting!

Want to go on a scavenger hunt for cash? Looking to have some fun – and are you willing to tell you friends so they have a chance to win the BIG BUCKS?

We are trying to give away $2000 . . .but you have to Fan us and have your friends Fan us on Facebook. Nothing is ever totally free :-(

Our Big $Party Treasure Chest is starting out with an awesome $1000. For every new FAN we have on Facebook from now through April 22, we will add $2 to the Big $Party Treasure Chest (up to $2000).

Help us fill the Big $Party Treasure Chest by telling all your friends to FAN us on Facebook.

WHERE IS THE PARTY?

Clues for location of the party will be in our eNewsletter. Be sure to sign up for the eNewsletter so you will know where the party is and how to win the CASH.

Here is our web site. www.WashingtonFAMILY.com

On the homepage you can click on Fun Things To Do, To Your Inbox. That's where you can sign up for our eNewsletter. And, then fan us on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/FAMILYMagazine

You can send the link to all your friends and get them to fan us as well. For every new fan, we add MONEY to the prize.

So, where is the party? You will just have to stay tuned and find out.

Brenda

Family Magazine Trivia #3

2011-04-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

FAMILY Magazine 20th Anniversary Trivia

Our first magazine was produced in the basement of my home. I had a little Mac computer my husband bought and a printer donated by my father. Our first employee was a part time secretary who was a college student. Maureen went on to work for AOL (when they were big) after she graduated from college. Our first home based sales person lived down the street and had 2 little girls. Jeanne found out she was pregnant with her 3rd child not long after coming to work for us.

Our entire creative department was a mom who worked out of her family room surrounded by toys and her two young sons. For several years, I would drop off work on her front porch and go back to pick it up later.

Now we have four people in our production department and work in a beautiful office with new computers that were just installed a few weeks ago. I don’t do much of the creative work any longer, but it is still one of the most enjoyable parts of putting together our magazine. We have a great time planning, brainstorming and just trying ideas out.

My picture this month was taken looking in our production area of the office. We have an open floor plan so that we can all work together and be the most creative team we can be. Our staff is great and it is truly a pleasure to work with them.

Family Magazine Trivia #2

2011-04-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

FAMILY Magazine 20th Anniversary Trivia

When the first magazine was publishing, we delivered it door-to-door in neighborhoods with lots of children. Our phones were constantly ringing and it be became apparent that we needed a better way of getting FAMILY Magazine into the hands of moms and dads who wanted to read it.

We started developing a network of places that moms go—where they sit, where they wait, and where they go to do things with their kids. At first this was a big task, but before long, our phones were constantly ringing again with places that wanted to have the magazine.

In 2011, we will deliver FAMILY Magazine to over 2,900 locations throughout the metro DC area every month and in the course of the year over 2,400,000 parents will read our magazine. My picture this month was taken in one of our 4 warehouse locations where our route managers pick up the magazine each month.

We are confident parents enjoy and benefit from the magazine, and we are confident that we can place it in the Metro DC market where they can find it. If you have a location you would like to add to our list, please let us know. You can also find a list of locations where we restock racks throughout the month by visiting our web site, washingtonfamily.com.

Awards Season – We’re a Stand Out Publication!

2011-04-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

It is always great to hear from your professional peers that you are doing a stand out job. It is also beneficial to give feedback to those on our staff who might not get as many obvious pats on the back – our production staff.

With sales, you can easily see progress just by looking at the numbers. Which month was up, who had the most sales in January, and so on. However, production’s outcomes are less easily quantified. While we all can see the fabulous finished product each month, sometimes it seems they only hear complaints. So I am always looking for ways to let them know what an amazing job they do.

FAMILY Magazine belongs to some national and regional trade organizations whose membership is made up of publications like ours. Sharing ideas and providing feedback on industry issues is a big part of being a member of these groups. Another part is competing against each other to see who can create the best publication. For the first time this year FAMILY Magazine entered the competition.

In the past, we simply did not have time to put together the entries. This year I decided to let our production staff put in the time to enter so they could see how they are doing compared to other publications. It ended up being sort of fun (in a weird – hard work – crisis - work as fast as you can way).

We entered one national and one regional competition. The Association of Free Community Publications (AFCP) is a North American organization of free publications which includes publications in Canada, and has a combined circulation of more than 17 million. The Mid-Atlantic Community Publications Association (MACPA) is an association of community publications delivered free to readers. This association represents the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Just a few days ago we received a letter notifying us that we had won at least one award in the 2011 AFCP Awards Contest. Then on Friday we received an email indicating we had also won an award in the MACPA competition. We are so excited.

The annual meeting for MACPA will be this week. So by Friday of this week we should know what entries are the award-winning ones for MACPA. The annual conference for AFCP, when the awards will be announced, will be held during the first week of May. It is very exciting. I will keep you posted!

Congratulations to our production department. No matter what the award, we already knew they were winners!

Brenda

Family Magazine Trivia #1

2011-04-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

All during 2011 I will be posting trivia from FAMILY Magazine. As we celebrate our 20th year of publishing, it is fun to look back and see where we come from.

Circulation of the first FAMILY Magazine was 18,000. The “paper,” as it was known then, was delivered to homes in areas of Northern Virginia where families with young children lived. By the end of the very first year, the circulation grew to 50,000. In 1994, FAMILY increased its distribution to parents in Maryland and DC. Four years later, we were the largest parenting publication on the East Coast. Today, FAMILY can be found in over 2900 locations where moms go with their kids throughout the Washington, DC Metro area.

Happy Birthday to FAMILY Magazine

2011-03-31T04:34:00.000-07:00

It is once again FAMILY Magazine’s Birthday! Just like a parent watching a child grow up, it is hard to believe that so much time has passed since we started FAMILY Magazine in the basement of my home. This year marks the 20th year for our publication and it has been a fantastic journey so far. This has been a team effort, and I have been fortunate to have some GREAT team members along the way. Thanks to all who have worked with and supported FAMILY Magazine.

All year long we are celebrating our 20th Anniversary. I certainly hope you are participating in the great contests every month on Facebook. So far, we have given away $600 in cash and a terrific digital camera. This month we are giving away CASH again, but in a more fun way.

We are having a party! And at the party we will be passing out CASH. What fun! But to find out about the party – where and when – you have to fan us on Facebook. And to get the secret code to win some money, you have to be signed up for our eNewsletter. This is going to be a sort of a scavenger hunt for the cash!

TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE FUN, the more people who fan us on Facebook, the more cash we will give out. So sign up NOW, have your friends sign up, and be sure to come to the party. Find us at www.facebook.com/FAMILYMagazine. We will be sharing the details with our fans. And, watch our eNewsletter for clues on where the party will be.

Although April is going to be a very fun month for all of us at FAMILY Magazine, I have some personal sadness I want to share so you can all send positive thoughts my way. If you were a reader of FAMILY Magazine in the past, you know that my son, BJ, has been on 2 deployments to the Middle East. In 2008, he celebrated his birthday in Iraq. That year I baked angel food cakes and shipped them over to him. This is a picture is BJ celebrating with his cakes. Our traditional family birthday cake is an angel food cake with vanilla icing. The icing recipe is the same one we use for our annual Christmas cookies and belonged to my husband’s grandmother.

Sadly for me (although he is excited), BJ is shipping out to the mountains of Afghanistan in June. He will be spending his birthday this April training for his third deployment. I will be able to spend 4 days with BJ on Mother’s Day. I am really looking forward to some personal time with him before he leaves.

On April 30, his birthday, please send your positive thoughts to BJ. And, if you are a long time reader of FAMILY Magazine, you will remember that BJ loves vanilla birthday cakes, so send him your thoughts in vanilla! I know he will want to share his birthday cakes with his team, so I am already planning how I will ship several cakes to him this year while they are training for their deployment. At least he won’t have to worry about getting sand in the icing this year.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Talk to Your Kids

2011-03-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Did you know that March is “Talk to Your Kids About Sex” Month? I wonder why March was chosen as this month of sexual conversation. I had forgotten that March had this theme until recently when my oldest daughter reminded me of a story.

The magazine was just a year old when we ran an article on how you should engage your children in conversation at the dinner table. I thought this was a great idea, so every night at the dinner table, I would engage the kids in talking about current events and news items.

One day, I heard a news item about a school system that was going to pass out condoms to high school students without permission from their parents. At this particular time, we had one child in high school, one in middle school and our youngest was in first grade. My oldest daughter was already off to college.

I thought this news item might create some lively conversation, so at the dinner table, I asked the kids what they thought about this. Our high schooler (who is also the most liberal person in the family) thought it was a great idea. High school kids should have control over their lives and make their own decisions. Our middle schooler (who is the most conservative in the family) was outraged. Parents should make those decisions and the schools should not step in. After this exchange our first grader raised her hand (like a dutiful first grader) and asked, “What is a condom?”

I was stunned. In my haste to create conversation, I had forgotten that she might not know about condoms. I can still remember the panic I felt at that instant. What do I say? How do I explain this at the dinner table? Help!

As my husband will tell you, I am not known for thinking fast on my feet. I like to mull things over and come up with solutions. He can beat me in a debate any day of the week. But at this moment, when it was important, I had a stroke of genius.

One of the tricks of parenting is to first find out how much they know. That will tell you a lot and help you answer many questions. So I asked her, “What do you think it is?”

She said, “All those houses in a row.”

And, I answered, “Yes” and, promptly changed the subject.

This experience is very funny in retrospect, but at the time I felt like I had dodged a bullet. But the best thing about it was that WASHFM had a contest just a couple years later for the funniest family story. And we won! The prize was a week’s vacation at Disney World. We had a great time that week and every time I tell the story, I still chuckle.

So, remember this March to talk to your kids about sex. You don’t have to talk about it all month, as they probably would not like that. Having a month set aside with this theme might be a good way to keep this important conversation top of mind.

Happy Parenting,

Brenda

What do we expect from leaders?

2011-03-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

Meg Garlinghouse , Head of Employment Branding and Community at LinkedIn wrote recently about a visit to the Mountain View campus of LinkedIn by world-renowned author teacher and thinker Deepak Chopra. I thought his words were interesting and offered me a chance to evaluate my leadership at FAMILY Magazine. We may be a small company, but the idea struck home for even our small staff.

Ms. Garlinghouse wrote, “Deepak contends that the best way to empower employees is to focus on their strengths. He cited Gallup research that shows that the four most important things people expect of their leaders are hope, compassion, trust and stability.

He spoke about how good leaders take calculated risks that comes from a deeper understanding of context, meaning and relationship. The most important thing, Deepak said, is living up to your values, being responsible for feedback and maintaining good health."

“If you focus on success, you’ll have stress,” Deepak said. “But if you pursue excellence, success will be guaranteed.”

Those were inspiring words for me. I am going to focus more on excellence and let the rest follow. Any comments out there?

Brenda

Facebook Strikes Again

2011-02-13T03:46:00.000-08:00

I have accounts on Facebook and LinkedIn. Primarily I set them up for business and I really don't use them for personal things. Sometimes they do connect me to people who I have not seen in a long time, and that is fun. But, (unfortunately or luckily ???) I just simply don't have a lot of time to spend on those sites connecting with other people. FAMILY Magazine keeps me very busy.

Maybe I should spend more time connecting? I am not sure. But I am willing to try to find out.

The other night my husband and I were out for dinner in DC with friends celebrating a birthday. Their two daughters were with us. They are both out of college but still very young. It was a great time and we really enjoyed their company. One of their daughters is a friend of our youngest so the evening was a reminder of how much fun we have with her.

During dinner another friend of these young ladies came into the restaurant. They both jumped up and went over to see her. Apparently it had been a long time since they had all seen each other. It was nice to see them interact and hear how she had been since they had last been together.

And, (here is the interesting part) not 5 minutes after the friend left the restaurant, both the girls pulled out their cell phones to see a message. The long lost friend they had seen in the restaurant had already updated her status on Facebook to talk about running into them in Georgetown.

Now, excuse me, but REALLY? Five minutes! Why? Was it that important? I can imagine her leaving the restaurant, walking around the corner and pulling out her phone. She would be standing there punching letters with her fingers on the little screen telling the world she had run into long lost friends.

I guess my age is showing, but I just don’t get the thrill of that. I don’t understand why I would want to tell all my friends (or why they would care) about running into some old school buddies at dinner.

Am I wrong? Tell me why you think it is interesting.

Please, tell me! I want to understand this brave new world of communication. I really do. But I just don’t get it.

Brenda

LinkedIn Did It

2011-02-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

I am not very good with change. I can change, but I have to think about it first. I like to determine the consequences and then take action. So on Monday when our Marketing Manager told me she had accepted a new position (a really good position with some great growth) my first thought was panic.

However after I thought about it for a couple of hours, I started thinking about all the positive consequences. For her, it is great and I am very happy for her. Our company is very small and there is not much of a ladder to climb. It is more like a single step stool and she was at the top in her area.

My next thought was, "How do I find someone just as great and how fast can I get them started?" So, I turned to LinkedIn. I don't have a huge number of connections. Admittedly, I have not done any work to build my network and people have just sort of found me. But even with the small number of connections I have, I was able to come up with 10 great resumes. Now I have 8 interviews scheduled and some terrific prospects.

So I guess I have to give a big "yippee" to LinkedIn. And, a big thank you to all my contacts for passing along some great people. And, to those that reconnected just to say hi, thanks for the shout out. It was great to hear from you.

Brenda

2011-02-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

Here is my segment with Peggy Fox on the exciting plans for the new Children's Science Center in Northern Virginia.

February 2 - Virtual Tour of the Children's Science Center

2011-01-26T03:50:00.000-08:00

If you ever read FAMILY Magazine, you probably know how passionate I am about kids and science. I loved science when I was growing up. For a few years I coordinated a volunteer group in the schools that worked with 5th graders doing fantastic science activities. My youngest daughter was a toddler and she went with me to do the activities in the schools and she developed a love of science as well.

Currently I am on the Board of Directors for a group that is starting a children's museum in Northern Virginia focusing on science and technology. The Children's Science Center will be located in Reston. We are hoping to have 50,000 square feet of hands-on activities for kids ranging from preschool to tweens.

The Children's Science Center has started offering a one-hour program and virtual tour for people to see their plans firsthand. I am hosting the one to be held on February 2.

I'd love have some of FAMILY Magazine readers come and meet some of our board members and see the Virtual Tour. This is not a fundraising activity and we won't be asking for donations at this event, but we are looking for advice, feedback and involvement from the community.

If you are interested in attending the Virtual Tour on Feb. 2, let me know. I will send the specifics to you.

In the mean time, visit the CSC website and see what they are all about.
http://www.thechildrenssciencecenter.org

It is a great project and I can not wait for the doors to open.

Brenda

Is print dead?

2011-01-24T04:02:00.000-08:00

I don’t know about you, by my stack of “to read” publications and articles just grows and grows. It is difficult sometimes to keep up with industry news and other reading that I love to do but have little time to spend on. So, I tend to read a whole lot whenever I do find a day or morning when I can focus on catching up. I really believe that keeping up with publishing news is very important and every time I catch up, I vow to do it more regularly…but that never happens.

A few weeks ago I read an article in a trade publication written by Kevin Slimp, a favorite speaker and trainer in the publishing world. I found it extremely motivating and it caused me to change my goals for 2011. Little did I know, but I was not alone. Kevin writes regularly for the trade magazine that I receive and Saturday morning I read Kevin’s monthly article where he wrote about all the publishers that responded to that same article with the same enthusiasm that I felt.

The original article, Will Print Survive?, prompted me to put an aggressive acquisition plan in place to upgrade our software and hardware that we use to produce FAMILY Magazine. I wanted to make our magazine be the very best it could be for our readers and advertisers. Kevin motivated me to think about what our readers want and how we can provide a connection to our advertisers that would go back to our core mission -- to help parents raise kids in the Washington, DC market.

You can read the entire article online at Kevin’s web site, but here is one story (in Kevin’s own words) that struck home to me.

Y2K (as written by Kevin Slimp)
I asked the group how many of them remembered the Y2k scare of the late 90s. Every hand in the room went up.

“Do you remember,” I asked, “how everybody stored bottled water, food and blankets in their basements because they were sure the end of the world was around the corner?”

The audience nodded in unison.

“I didn’t buy water,” I told them. “And do you know why?”

I waited for an answer, but the room was silent as everyone anticipated my answer.

“Because I knew it wasn’t real. It was something that people believed because we (the press) told them it was going to happen. Everyone kept reading in their newspapers and hearing on TV that the end was near. And they believed it.”

Heads moved in agreement. Like in a southern church service, I heard a voice say, “That’s right.”

“Well for the last three years,” I continued, “you’ve been telling your readers that newspapers were dying. That the end was near. And guess what. It took a while, but they finally believed you. And guess what. Your advertisers believed you, too.”

Kevin went on to talk about how we should improve our print product and work to provide the very best printed publication we can for our readers and our advertisers. He also told a story about asking people where they read a specific story – online or in print. I would wager that most people read the story in print. I ask the same question all the time, and people tell me they prefer to pick up a copy of FAMILY Magazine and read it at their leisure.

The bottom line is that I believe, like Kevin does that print is not dead. I believe that we will always have a printed FAMILY Magazine that moms can carry in their purse or bag to an after school class to read while they are waiting on their kids. Yes, there will be more online readers – these have been growing steadily and we have been working to provide a great online experience.

In 2011 FAMILY Magazine celebrates the 20th year of publishing in the Washington, DC market. Print is not going away. And, to further prove that point, FAMILY Magazine had the BEST year in our history in 2010. . . . And they say print is dead?

Brenda

Brenda Hyde's Profile - The Story of FAMILY Magazine

2011-01-18T06:27:00.000-08:00

This January, FAMILY Magazine published my personal story of how I started FAMILY Magazine back in 1991. When I meet new people they are always interested in how I started the magazine. Our 20th Anniversary celebration launched in January so we thought it would be a good time to tell the story of FAMILY Magazine. Let me know if you find it interesting.

Brenda ---

Profile Brenda M. Hyde
Publisher & CEO
FAMILIES Magazines, Inc.

Back in 1991, I was frustrated when I could not find a children’s shoe store for my four kids. This annoying situation made me realize that the Washington metropolitan area lacked a good resource for busy moms. So, with the support of my husband, I set out to create a magazine that would guide parents to resources and publish insightful articles.

Now, after 20 years of publishing, I have had the honor of helping parents and advertisers alike. I will never forget the first time a mother told me she was able to help her child with a learning disability because of an article FAMILY published. Or the time a small business owner thanked me for helping them increase their sales. These reaffirming stories inspire me to work hard every day.

Today, FAMILY Magazine helps more parents and supports more business than ever before. We have the largest circulation in the Mid-Atlantic region, and we have won many awards for our magazine. But, most importantly, parents tell us they keep our magazine for over two years because the information and resources are priceless to them.

I would like to take the credit for these successes, but that would just be in vain. Over the years, I have hired some true visionaries. Most of the time these visionaries arrive with babies on their hips, but they come to me with the desire to grow intellectually and fiscally.

However, there is one visionary who has been by my side for the start: My husband of 30 years. He believed in my vision from the very beginning, and he gave me sound advice from the start. He said, “Brenda, this idea needs a detailed business plan.” The plan has served me well, and the habit of planning in detail has come in handy hundreds of times.

In 2010, planning has been my focus. We developed a plan to expand our vision to include both traditional and online marketing strategies. This new vision encouraged us to update the magazine and transform our website. At times, all this planning was challenging, but I have gained precious insights on how to communicate with parents today and develop brand awareness in the marketplace.

Communicating with parents today is different than it was 20 years ago, but I have found parents are still talking about the same issues—such as safety, education, and enrichment.

Getting in front of parents to build brand awareness is a challenge for any small business. It requires consistency, effective advertising vehicles and hard work. In my experience, running a successful small business is part elbow grease and part showmanship. I have pulled countless all nighters, heard thousands of interesting stories, and spoken in front of hundreds of people. Operating a small business is hard work, but it’s full of rewards.

If you’re a mom whose goal is to start her own business, my advice is to find your passion, learn all you can about it, and work hard. My dad use to tell me, “Find your passion in life. It does not matter what you do as long as you are willing to do it for free. You can be a garbage collector or President of the United States. If you would do it for free, then whatever you get paid and however hard it is, you will never work another day in your life.”

That advice from my father has served me well, but the advice I would share as a mother and grandmother is: Don’t forget your kids. Play with them every chance you get. Play more and then play some more again. The memories you create with them will build a castle for the future.

Creating a future with your spouse is equally important. Keeping a good marriage is extremely difficult and you have to work at it. I’ve found that supporting your spouse’s life dreams and learning a hobby together are two of the best ways to keep a marriage strong. These simple gestures are invaluable and will go a long way.

All in all, the FAMILY Magazine’s vision remains the same as it was in the very beginning; to connect parents to the best resources and businesses that will aid them in the great adventure of raising children in our Nation’s Capital.

20th Year Celebration

2011-01-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

New Year
New Magazine
New Website
New Resolutions and Goals

Another new year is well underway. It has brought with it the opportunity to begin fresh. No doubt 2011 will be a year with endless possibilities!

“A makeover shouldn’t turn you into someone else – it should lead to a better you.” Opra Winfrey

When we started planning our January 2011 issue, we decided to make some changes. 2011 is the year in which we celebrate our 20th year of publishing FAMILY, and it gives us a great opportunity to switch things up a bit. In preparation for this January’s issue, we let our imaginations run wild to change and redesign the look and focus of FAMILY Magazine. What you will read is a brand-new, terrifically improved, completely redesigned magazine, yet still geared towards helping you on your journey of parenting.

http://www.server-jbmultimedia.net/WAFamilyMagazine/sitebase/index.aspx?adgroupid=193954&view=double&fh=635

Not only did we change the print magazine, we have also enhanced our website (whew!). Please visit and enjoy our new easy-to-use search engine and improved layout. You will find it easier than ever to locate resources to help you raise your children.

On the heels of our twentieth anniversary, we are simplifying our look, focusing in on the issues you care most about and adding more to the two sides of motherhood – the mother and the woman. Our focus is helping you find what you need, discover what you want or achieve your goals with ease, while still providing you with the resources you need to raise your family in the crazy Washington, DC area.

As Heidi Smith Luedtke so eloquently says in her article this month, Living Your Life’s Dream, “Time may pass slowly on any given day. It is the weeks, months, and years that whiz by.” Twenty years have passed since my dream to create FAMILY Magazine began. Just recently, I met a woman who was a fellow Brownie leader with me when I first tried out the idea of creating a local resource for moms. We reminisced about discussing FAMILY before it launched, and her pride in knowing she had influenced that very first issue.

In the first issue of FAMILY Magazine, I did not have an article or letter to our readers. It did not occur to me that other moms would want to know about the people who created this publication. Since then, I have discovered that you do enjoy connecting with those who create FAMILY Magazine and indeed our shared experience of parenting is a great connection. During 2011, we will go back and revisit the experiences of FAMILY Magazine over the last two decades. It will be fun to explore how we’ve grown over the years together.

Do you have memories of twenty years ago? Come join us on our Facebook page and share with other moms what you remember from the beginnings of Washington FAMILY Magazine. We would truly love to hear your memories.

Parenting is all consuming, but it brings with it the satisfaction of creating a life. Our own needs and desires are sometimes put on a back burner while we raise our kids. I hope that you will read this issue of FAMILY Magazine and find enjoyment putting yourself first for just a moment. The laundry can wait and sandwiches for dinner won’t be the end of the world. Spend a little “mommy time” this New Year rewarding yourself for the incredible impact you’ve made on your family. After all, you deserve it.

Happy 2011 and I look forward to sharing memories with you all year long.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Triva from 20 Years Ago:
Circulation of the first FAMILY Magazine was 18,000. The “paper,” as it was known then, was delivered to homes in areas of Northern Virginia where families with young children lived. By the end of the very first year, the circulation grew to 50,000. In 1994, FAMILY increased its distribution to parents in Maryland and DC. Four years later, we were the largest parenting publication on the East Coast. Today, FAMILY can be found in over 2900 locations where moms go with their kids throughout the Washington, DC Metro area.

Award-Winning and Educational Toys and Games

2011-01-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while there almost all of us have experienced a computer mess up. Well, it is my turn. I have had several blogs posted in the past 6 weeks that apparently did not make it all the way to the internet. So I am trying to catch up.

This is from a segment on WUSA 9 in December. Our Assistant Editor, Amy Bevins does some great research every year on award-winning educational toys. Her research is then published in our magazine and she shows off the toys on WUSA9. You can see the video on our web site.

Award-Winning and Educational Toys and Games
By Amy Carney Bevins

Walking down the aisle of the toy store can be overwhelming. Bright colors, creative packaging, adorable characters and playful music all compete for your attention and your toy purchasing dollars. So how do you get past all the hype to find toys with long term playing power? Ones that your child will turn to over and over again. Ones that grow with your child. Ones that teach, delight, soothe, excite and become family favorites.

All of the toys and games on this year’s list meet the criteria for being more than just a toy. They teach, foster imagination, get kids moving and bring families together. Hopefully, with the toys on this list, you won’t hear “I’m bored” for at least a week and maybe not even until sometime next year.

Many of the featured toys have also won numerous national and international awards, meaning they were a hit with kids, parents, testers and industry experts. Groups like the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Dr. Toy, Parent’s Choice and AblePlay give awards to toys and games that meet criteria for standing out among their peers*.
*(To learn more about Toy Awards; visit the online FAMILY Magazine Article Archives - http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/And-the-Winners-Are-Toy-Awards)

Here is our list of this year’s standouts.

Sidebar:
Use these icons to help you select the right toy for your child:

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years)
Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+)

Active Play
Toys that will get your child moving, jumping, laughing, and running

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Soft Shapes Trucks
Rub-a-dub dub – learn in the tub. Make playtime, bath time, anytime into fun time. Soft Shapes books are made of heavy duty foam pages and feature pop-out shapes. In the bath, they float and stick to walls and tub sides. Soft Shapes books are also a wonderful first puzzle. Other titles in this brightly colored series include Animals, Dinosaurs, Counting, Shapes, Colors and more.

Approximate Price - $10.99 www.innovativekids.com
Awards - Parents' Choice Award, IPMA Best Products, Manufacturing Bookbuilders of Boston - Best of Show, Parent's Guide to Children's Media Awards - Outstanding Achievement in Activity Books

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Play Die Moo and Baa
What is smooth, furry and goes crinkle, crinkle, moo? The Play Die Moo and Baa. You and your little one will discover six fun animals as you roll this soft die back and forth. Feel the sheep’s soft fur, tickle the kitten’s whiskers, peek in the crinkly hen’s nest, and listen to the calf moo softly as you turn the die from side to side. Just the right size for little hands to hold.

Approximate Price - $10.99 www.Maukilo.com

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years)
Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Major League Baseball Lubies
Toss a Tiger. Roll a Ranger. Cuddle a Cardinal. Major League Baseball Lubies are super soft, loveable, huggable friends for all ages. From the Nats to the Orioles and the Brewers to the Braves, these adorable, softball-sized critters each represent a MLB team and show team spirit in a unique way. Perfect for an indoor game of catch, your teen’s locker or as a naptime snuggly, MLB Lubies are Fan-tastic fun.

Approximate Price - $12.99 www.rocketusa.com
Awards - Mom’s Best Toy Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, iParenting Media Award, Parent Tested Parent Approved Award, Creative Child Preferred Choice Award

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Ez Bat
Batter Up! E-Z Bat is perfect for teaching the youngest players swing fundamentals. Simply slip the special ball on the bat and swing. The more accurate the swing, the further the ball will fly. The unique ball is also easy to catch and throw. No frustrating, tottery tees or wonky pitches; with E-Z Bat every swing can be a home run.

Approximate Price - $15.99 www.monkeybusinesssports.com
Awards - Mr. Dad Seal of Approval

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Mega Magnifier
Get up close and personal in a big way. The giant 10x13 inch Mega Magnifier provides an enlarged view of your child’s world. Made of sturdy plastic, this huge magnifying glass even floats. See the details of spider webs, dandelion seeds, fabric fibers and more as you explore the world around you.

Approximate Price - $14.99 www.summittoy.com.
Awards - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Hot Wheels Wheelie Track Pack/Doll House Play Pack
Bring playtime along with you every where you go. These clever play pack backpacks unzip to reveal play mats and lots of storage. Open the Wheelie Track Pack to find storage for 100 Hot Wheels cars and a brightly colored track, pit and winners circle. The Doll House Play Pack opens to a 2 story dollhouse fit for a princess, and provides hours of creative on-the-go play (doll included). The attached straps make these kid-sized play packs so easy to transport and enjoy.

Approximate Price - $19.99 www.neat-oh.com
Awards - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Peanut Ball
Bounce your way to fun and fitness. The Peanut Ball is phenomenally versatile. Use it as a wiggle buster, an imagination platform, an exercise option, a therapy tool and more. The colorful, inflatable peanut-shaped balls are irresistible to kids and can hold an amazing 750 lbs.

Approximate Price - $31.99-39.99 www.funandfunction.com
Awards - Dr Toy Best Product Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Skyball Slammer
How can you get a ball to bounce 75 feet in the air? Give it a slam! Use the end of the “slammer” to rocket the “hyper-charged” Skyball into the air and try to catch it with the suction cup on the other end. The Skyball Slammer is perfect for working out those winter wiggles.

Approximate Price - $12.99 www.mauitoys.com
Awards - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award

Mythbusters Science of Sport Science Exploration Kit
A sweet spot on a baseball bat and the Big Bounce theory – True or Busted? Mythbusters Science of Sport Kit is the perfect combination action and learning! Examine and explore sports myths and truths along with the Mythbuster team. Packed full of activities and ideas, this kit will have you jumping and moving along the path of knowledge.

Approximate Price - $19.99 www.giddyup.com

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Skyball and Bat
It’s a grand slam and a home run all rolled into one. With Skyball and Bat, kids can knock it out of the park. The helium-filled “hypercharged” ball flies up to an amazing 300 feet when hit with the bat. So put on your running shoes and get ready to “Play Ball.”

Approximate Price - $14.99 www.mauitoys.com
Awards - CNBC.com's Sports Toy Of The Year

Creative Play
Toys that will foster imagination, music, pretend play, art, and creativity

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Just Triangles
These unique natural-rubber building blocks put a twist on tower building, helping little minds think outside traditional, square building blocks box. Super soft, squishy and bouncy, Just Triangles can be played with in a myriad of ways - stacking, patterning, tossing, tumbling, creating. Their bright colors, fuzzy-feel appeal and multiple uses make them a great toy box addition.

Approximate Price - $24.95 www.rubbabu.com
Awards - Dr Toy Best Vacation Products, Tillywig Toy Award, Creative Child Preferred Choice Award

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) City Life and My Animal Farm Play Sets
Hours of playtime in the city or on the farm. The My Animal Farm and City Life Play Sets come with everything your child needs for an imagination adventure. The giant, washable, non-skid play mats set the stage while the soft, squishy, natural foam animals and vehicles invite kids to play. Bright colors and open-ended play make the My Animal Farm and City Life Play Sets a toy box staple.

Approximate Price - $24.99 www.rubbabu.com
Awards - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award and SNAP Award

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Crafty Kids Creation Cottage/Shuttle Imagination
Made of 100% recycled cardboard material, these sturdy kid-height playhouses are a child’s dream. Now you can say “yes” to drawing on the walls - of the cottage or shuttle that is. The white exterior is a blank canvas for your child to create a dream cottage or design an out of this world space shuttle. Kids can decorate these play spaces inside and out with paint, markers, crayons and more, making these toys that keep on playing.

Approximate Price - $59.95 www.craftykidsusa.com
Awards- (Shuttle) National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, Tillywig Toy Award, Creative Child Award

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Ubbercutter
Ubbercutter is an ideal complement to hobby and craft projects, cutting all kinds of materials without exposing fingers to sharp scissors and craft knives. Make precision straight or angle cuts on items like popsicle sticks, leather, foam core, dowels, plastic and more. From models and scrapbooks to science projects and doll houses, Ubbercutter is a revolutionary cut above.

Approximate Price - $19.99 www.patchproducts.com

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Eco Aquarium
The perfect pet is one that requires little care, takes up minimal space and doesn’t shed. With the Eco-Aquarium, you can finally say “yes” to a pet. This 4”x4” self-contained water world is home to two Dwarf African frogs, a plant, living gravel and colorful rocks. Enjoy froggie antics every day, feed them once a week with the included food and change the water once a month. That’s it! Now that’s pet care the easy way!

Approximate Price - $22.99 www.wildcreations.com
Awards - TIA Toy of the Year; Dr. Toy Best Green Product; Learning Express Most Innovative New Toy, Parents' Choice Award, Tillywig Top Fun Award, Mr. Dad Seal of Approval

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Eeboo Watercolor Pencils and Sketchbook
A palette of pleasing colors and a place to draw your dreams. The fanciful covers of the EeBoo sketchbooks are a wonderful inspiration to aspiring artists and open to inviting heavy-weight drawing pages. Paired with a lovely tin of 24 watercolor pencils that flow across the page, this duo makes a delightful gift for your favorite art lover.

Approximate Price - $6 (sketchbook), $15 (watercolor pencils) www.eeboo.com

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Zip-Bins
Play and clean up all with one creatively versatile product. Zip-Bins are the perfect play and storage combination. Zipped up, the bins store Legos, dinosaurs, dolls, cars, horses - whatever your child loves to play with and collect. Unzip the padded bins to open a themed playmat like a dinosaur playscape, a train depot, a fairy castle, an airport and many more. From small shoebox-sized travel cases to giant lidded storage bins, every thing will be easy to play with, clean up and store with Zip-Bins

Approximate Price - $9.99-24.99 www.neat-oh.com
Awards – Over 30 awards including the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, Dr. Toy Smart Play Smart Toy Award, Creative Child Toy of the Year, iParenting Media HOT Product Award, NAPPA Gold Award, Middle East Toy Fair Most Innovative Toy Award, TD Monthly Top Toy

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Dangerous Book for Boys Chemistry set
The ability to create smoke bombs and slime, dissolve metal and write with invisible ink. Are you giving your child super powers? Yes! The powers that come from chemistry. In the Dangerous Book for Boys Classic Chemistry set, boys and girls alike learn foundational science skills and can conduct 30 experiments using the included items and common household ingredients. Maybe the next super hero will be your child – Super Scientist.

Approximate Price - $35.95 www.thamesandkosmos.com
Awards - Parents Choice Silver Award; Toy Industry Association Toy of the Year nomination

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Contraptions
Just 200 wooden planks and two ping pong balls in the box, but unlimited hours of creative, mind-expanding, old-fashioned fun. Forget all of the physics and math principals your kids will unconsciously be absorbing, Contraptions keeps kids and adults actively engaged in creating huge marble-run like structures for the ping pong balls to roll, bounce, twist, jump and race down. You’ll be surprised at how time flies when you play with Contraptions.

Approximate Price - $49.95 www.mindware.com
Awards - Major Fun, NAGC Parenting for High Potential Award, Creative Child Toy of the Year, Major Fun Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Project Runway Silk Screen Fashion Design Set
“Just make it work.” Like on Project Runway, kids can design their own wearable fashions on everything from t-shirts and skirts to purses and hoodies. The kit comes with patterns, templates and stencils to get started (and directions for extension opportunities), 6 fabric paints, a silkscreen machine and more. By taking a garment from plain to fabulous, kids can strut their stuff in one-of-a-kind looks that they create.

Approximate Price - $32.99 www.fashionangels.com
Awards - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award

Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) A Kid’s Guide to Giving
Give a gift that can change the world. A Kid’s Guide to Giving is filled with ways kids can make a difference locally or globally through donations of time, money and items. Whether your child is fascinated by the needs of people, animals or the environment, this amazing resource details over 100 organizations, their missions, how kids can be involved and more. Perfect for kids, parents, scout troops and youth groups, it lists large and small ways kids can make an impact (how to host a fundraiser, grassroots efforts, different types of charity drives, avoiding scams, history of charity groups, etc.).

Approximate Price - $9.99 www.innovativekids.com
Awards - iParenting Media Award

Preteen (10-12) T3 Transforming Solar Robot
Make a robot that walks, a tank that rolls or a stinging scorpion. All it takes is a ray of sunshine to set the parts in motion. With basic building skills and a little patience kids can transform the separate parts into three different eco-energized, working robots.

Approximate Price - $19.95 www.owirobot.com
Awards - Toy Fair 2010 Hottest Toys, Dr. Toy Best Children’s Product, Funfare Best Pick of the Season

Games
Spend family time together playing some of these award winning games.

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Puppy Palooza
Peppered with playful pooches polka-dotted and plain, Puppy Palooza is puzzle-fun in an earth-friendly package. Made of 98% recycled materials and eco-friendly inks, this charming 35 piece floor puzzle pictures puppies tall and small, long and short, and perfectly proportioned to please your little puzzle-solver.

Approximate Price - $14.99 www.innovativekids.com

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Singin’ Sea Creatures 3-D Sneaky Puzzle
Holy Holograms! This zany 3D puzzle will have a sea full of creatures, numbers and letters floating before your eyes. First, put together this giant 46 piece floor puzzle. Then, transform the puzzle by donning the 3D glasses, adding another level of fun and interest. Numbers 0-9 and letters A-Z seem to pop from the puzzle along with fanciful sea creatures jamming and jiving to an undersea beat.

Approximate Price - $14.99 www.patchproducts.com
Awards - National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, iParenting Media Award, WTS (What’s the stuff review) 5-star certified, Creative Child Seal of Excellence

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Dancing Eggs
What has more bounce than a box full of bunnies? Dancing Eggs – an absolutely hilarious game of goofiness. Can you run around the table with a rubber egg between your knees, crow like a rooster, or hold three rubber eggs in the crook of your elbow without laughing? Not likely. A roll of the dice determines what you do to collect an egg. Keeping each one you win without dropping it is what takes this game from fun to truly zany. With a few rule adaptations for ages and space constraints, Dancing Eggs is a riotous game for all ages.

Approximate Price - $17.99 www.Maukilo.com
Awards - NAPPA Honors, Major Fun Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Sea Food Puzzle
The perfect opportunity to play with your food. You’ll delight at the inventive undersea inhabitants in a world where everything literally is “sea food.” A banana octopus, pepper fish, portabella crab and more share the sea in this colorful 100 piece puzzle. Look closely, can you find more tasty sea friends?

Approximate Price - $14.00 www.eeboo.com
Awards - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Hide and Eek
“The game with 100 elephants and a mouse.” It’s pachyderm pandemonium as players try to collect whimsical elephant cards with the help of one small mouse. Surprisingly sneaky learning slips in stealthily like a mouse. The kids will be so focused on the elephants that they won’t notice they are strengthening skills in math, memory, visual acuity and more – even better, you’ll enjoy the game too.

Approximate Price - $13.99 www.gamewright.com
Awards - Major Fun Award, Creative Child Preferred Choice

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Quadrago
Put a new twist on tic-tac-toe. Quadrago is wonderful for all ages as it is easily accessible to younger players, but has many deeper levels of play that will captivate serious strategists. Slip smooth wooden beads onto silver-hued poles in an attempt to get four in a row – but – surprise! The center section can spin, changing the game in an instant. With its visual and game-play appeal, Quadrago is an ideal family game.

Approximate Price - $29.95 www.mindtwisterusa.com
Awards - Tillwig Toy Award, Creative Child Game of the Year, National Association for Gifted Children Parenting for High Potential Recommended Seal

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Up for Grabs
Up for Grabs takes word play out of the box. “Make a Word or Take a Word.” Not only do you race to make words from flipped letter tiles, you can also steal from your opponents by adding letters to existing words to make something new. C-A-T could become C-R-A-F-T and R-A-T could become T-A-R-P. A fabulous combination of quick wit, creative thinking and serious strategy, this ingenious game is sure to become a family favorite for all types of game players.

Approximate Price - $14.95 www.mindware.com
Awards - Major Fun Award, Creative Seal of Excellence

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Verbal Volley
Who knew synonyms and antonyms could be so much fun? Like a fast-paced tennis match, players bounce words back and forth (Hot - scorching, steamy, burning, like an oven, spicy, molten – you get the idea). What starts as a simple word game turns into an intense verbal battle. Play against one opponent or match wits in a team vs. team showdown. Created by language and neuroscience experts, Verbal Volley is so much fun, you’ll forget it has a learning component as you battle to have the last word . . .remark, comment, utterance . . .

Approximate Price - $29.95 www.mindfullgames.com
Awards - Dr. Toy Best Vacation Product

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Abalone
Dubbed by one teen as the “coolest strategy game ever,” Abalone is simple to learn, but a true challenge to master. What seems a simple black vs. white marble game is filled with complex thinking twists. The format is easily accessible for young strategists, but will draw serious game players back again and again as they attempt to outwit their opponents to become Abalone champion.

Approximate Price - $29.99 www.foxmind.com
Awards - MENSA Select Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Labyrinth the Duel
Two wizards duel to see who can capture the greatest treasure hoard. Based on the wildly popular Labyrinth game, this new version puts two players against one another in a quick witted challenge to see who can move their game board pieces to create passages to the treasured items. The ever-shifting game boards, fast-paced play and wide appeal make this a fabulous family game.

Approximate Price - $24.99 www.ravensburger.com
Awards - Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) You’ve Been Sentenced
Wild, wacky, witty wordplay. Can you form a hand of random words into a sensible sentence? Can you justify to the “jury” of other players that your ingenious creation is a sentence? Sometimes the story is as good as the sentence in this totally unique, award-winning game of grammar hilarity. With add-on decks including sports highlights, gourmet cuisine, pop culture and more, you will laugh out loud as you strive for wordy success in You’ve Been Sentenced.

Approximate Price - $24.95 www.mcneilldesigns.com
Awards – 10 awards including Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, Tillywig Toy Awards laugh Out Loud Award Winner, iParenting Media Award, Dr. Toy’s Best Products Award, Creative Child Seal Of Excellence

Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Manhattan
Dominate the world one skyscraper at a time. This fantastic game of strategy lets you conquer the globe from Manhattan to Toyko. Will you build the tallest building in the world, monopolize a particular city, or own the most buildings worldwide? Will you team up or go it alone? From the unique game board and play cards to the mental challenges, once you get the hang of Manhattan, you’ll be on your way to global domination.

Approximate Price - $39.99 www.riograndegames.com
Awards - Major Fun award, Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year award)

Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) 5 Second Rule
Time is ticking. Think fast. Can you do it? The premise of 5 Second Rule is simple – draw a card and give three answers before time runs out (i.e. 3 breeds of dogs, 3 winter activities, 3 Dr. Seuss books, 3 famous Michaels). Sounds easy. But when you turn the 5 second timer, the fun begins. Sputtering, stumbling, laugh-out-loud attempts will have everyone rolling as players try to “Just Spit it Out!” in this fast-paced game of family fun.

Approximate Price - $24.99 www.patchproducts.com
Awards - National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, FamilyFun Boredom Buster Awards, iParenting Media Award

Amy Carney Bevins is a freelance writer, Assistant Editor and Toy Expert for FAMILY Magazine, an educator and founder/owner of Chantilly Chefs cooking classes for children and adults. She has been featured on WUSA9, NBC, MonkeySee.com, AOL Video and RobustCooking.com. Visit her website www.amycarneybevins.com to read more of her articles, view her cooking and toy videos and learn more about her cooking classes.

Gifts to Go

2010-11-15T18:08:00.000-08:00

With the holidays just around the corner, you’ve probably started making your shopping lists.

Today Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor and Toy Expert for FAMILY Magazine, shared a few tips about “Gifts to Go,” on the WUSAS Moms Like Me segment.

According to Amy, whether you are mailing a package across the country or delivering it down the street, you want to find something sure to please. But what is the perfect gift to send to the cousins in Oregon, give as a holiday hostess gift, wrap for a secret Santa swap or even have for that long car ride back from grandma’s house?

Here are Amy’s criteria for choosing Gifts to Go as well as some great choices for this holiday season.

If you are mailing a package, be sure it is:
Lightweight
Small
Sturdy

If you are getting a toy or game for travel think about:
Limited number of pieces
Quiet sounds
Multiple uses
Consider the number of users - Is it individual or shared?
Independent of interactive?

Here is a listing of great “Gifts to Go” – fun-filled presents that are perfect for holiday giving, last minute surprises or to take with you on your holiday adventures.

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Imaginets
Imaginets are the perfect travel toy – colorful, engaging, creative and quiet. The wooden carry case has two white board surfaces and contains 42 vibrantly colored magnetic, geometric shapes and a deck of simple to complex design pattern design cards. Or kids can make their own freeform creations. Bring along a dry erase marker to add to the possibilities – making play options endless.

Approximate Price - $24.95 www.mindware.com
Awards – Major Fun Award, NAGC Parenting for High Potential Award, Creative Child Toy of the Year

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Finn and Maeve Paper Dolls
These charming paper dolls, Finn and Maeve and their fanciful companions, a witch, a fox and a cat, take your child on an enchanted imagination adventure complete with castle ramparts and a fire breathing dragon. Beautifully illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell and packing easily into a carry case, the dolls, outfits and double-sided play stand will delight your child for hours of creative play.

Approximate Price - $15 www.eeboo.com
Awards – Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Dig It
Doggone fun on the go with Dig It. Nestled inside the perfectly planned travel case are the pieces to the puzzle of where the dog buried his bone. Use keen wit and clever strategy as you work through the increasingly complex puzzle challenges to uncover the golden bones. Tail wagging fun for kids and adults alike.

Approximate Price - $19.99 www.foxmind.com
Awards – Creative Child Magazine Seal of Excellence

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) green start™ little polar bear storybook and plush box set
Eco-friendly and the perfect pocket pal, this soft, loveable little polar bear comes with a story about the life of an arctic polar bear cub. A great learn and play toy that promotes environmental awareness in a cuddly friend. Other earth friendly sets include a panda bear, an elephant and a gorilla plush each with a book.

Approximate Price - $10 www. innovativekids.com
Awards – Dr. Toy 2010 Best Green Product Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Spot it Pocket
Who can be the first to Spot It? In these four fast-paced games of I Spy, players race to find matching symbols. Packed in a pocket-sized on-the-go case, Spot It is perfect for cars, planes, restaurants, rainy days and grandma’s house. Easy to learn and quick to play, Spot It makes anytime game time.

Approximate Price - $11.99 www.blueorangegames.com
Awards – NAPPA Gold Award, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, Major Fun Award, Dr. Toy Best Vacation Products, The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval, ASTRA’s Best Toy For Kids, TDmonthly Top Seller Award

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Zoobies Storytime Collection
Just right to snuggle, cuddle and love. A Zoobie is a plush pal, a comfy pillow and a cozy blanket all tucked in one loveable package. Choose your child’s favorite story time friend – Olivia, Spot, Paddington, Mr. Happy, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and more. Some even come with gift books included. So curl up with your little one and her new friend and bring a story to life one page and hug at a time.
Approximate Price - $35-40 www.zoobies.com
Awards – Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Product

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+)
Eeboo Metallic Colored Pencils
For preschoolers to teens, add some bling to artwork creations with Eeboo’s metallic pencils. Drawings glitter and sparkle with six different colors – gold, sliver, turquoise, aqua, purple and copper. The pencil’s unique chunky triangular shape makes gripping easy for even the youngest artists.

Approximate Price - $7 www.eeboo.com

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Perplexus
Intriguing, engaging, addicting, amazing. Perplexus captures attention with twists and turns. The goal is to roll a small silver marble through the maze-filled transparent ball. But how do you reach the end? It’s perplexing, absorbing, enticing . . . and so much fun.

Approximate Price - $19.99 www.perplexus.net
Awards – National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, Premio Brasil de Excelencia em Brinquedo

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Spot Hand Puppet
Soft, snuggly and oh so cute. Everyone loves Spot. Bring a childhood favorite to life with this adorable Spot Hand Puppet. From his cuddly paws to the brown spots on his back and tail, this puppet is perfect for hours of imaginative play and language enrichment.

Approximate Price - $16 www.kidspreferred.com

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Ratuki
Furiously fast! Outrageously fun! Race to place your numbered cards on “shared ascending/descending stacks.” Up and down, back and forth. Watch out for the wild card, it changes everything. No reading makes this fun for the whole family (and Shhh! It even sneaks in a little learning too). Are you a quick draw in the numbers game? Then Ratuki is for you.

Approximate Price - $9.95 www.usaopoly.com
Awards – Major Fun, Chicago Tribune’s 10 Cool Games

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Zingo to Go
Shake, rattle and roll on down the road. Zingo! to Go is like Bingo on wheels. Packed in a travel bag is everything you need for a travel game for the younger set – traffic light themed game boards and a Zingo shaker. With lots of different ways to play, Zingo will keep this kids busy as you drive off into the sunset.

Approximate Price - $14.99 www.thinkfun.com
Awards – Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Product

Infant (0-2 years) HABA Wooden Rattles
Flowers, trains, lions and more. These charming child-friendly wooden rattles are a delight to babies and parents. Their soft bells and clacks, moving parts and bright colors engage babies’ senses. The beech wood construction, quietly pleasing noises and child-safe water-based stains make them a parent pleaser too.

Approximate Price - $8-14 www.HABAusa.com
Awards – Creative Child Seal of Excellence

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Educational Balls
Make learning go round. These colorful soft, squishy balls are made of eco-friendly natural rubber and have raised shapes, numbers or letters making them tactilely interesting, fun to play with and a learning opportunity all in one spherical toy. So whether you roll them back and forth, play catch or give them a kick, kids can learn and play simultaneously.

Approximate Price - $5.95 www.rubbabu.com
Awards – Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, Dr Toy Best Vacation Products, Parents' Choice Award, Tillywig Toy Awards, Brain Child Award

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Word Shout
Shake, rattle, roll and shout. Smaller than a cell phone, Word Shout is a go-anywhere game of quick thinking and verbal speed. Roll the 10 letter dice, be the first to spot a word and shout it out. So pack it in you pocket and get ready to word hunt.

Approximate Price - $6.99 www.patchproducts.com

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) FuzzOodles
Oodles of fun with twisty, bendy, goofy, play-it-again FuzzOodles. With colorful, hugely furry, oversized pipe cleaner noodles and FuzzOodle parts (think silly eyes, monster toes, grinning lips, beaks, hats and more), kids can make a myriad of creations, take them apart and make something else imaginative, wearable, decorative or just downright hilarious.

Approximate Price - $7.99-24.99 www.giddyup.com
Awards – Dr. Toy's Best Children's Products and Best Creative Products Awards

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Princess Reading Diary
Just right for thoughts and dreams, with a lock and key to keep it private. The Princess Reading Diary (and other fanciful locked diaries by eeBoo that feature fairies, fawns, castles, mermaids and butterflies) have over 200 inviting pastel pages to fill with secrets and stories, adventures and hopes, the day-to-day and the special moments.

Approximate Price - $11 www.eeboo.com

Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Graffiti Sky Ball
What can leap a tall building with a single bound? It’s a bird, it’s a plane. No, it’s Sky Ball. With cool graffiti patterns in bright colors, this “hypercharged” ball’s ability to bounce will amaze you. So get ready to run off some of that winter energy as you bounce and toss Sky Ball. Also available in solid colors and jumbo sized.

Approximate Price - $9.99 www.mauitoys.com

Infant (0-2 years) Preschool (3-4 years) Elementary (5-9 years) Aniwheelies
A complete zoo on wheels. No, it’s not your minivan stuffed with kids. It’s Aniwheelies. These soft flocked, natural rubber animals roll around on wheels by kid-propulsion. From giraffes and hippos to lions and ducks, the colorful assortment of animal choices offers a barnyard of fun.

Approximate Price - $4.95 www.rubbabu.com

Elementary (5-9 years) Preteen (10-12) Teens/Adults (13+) Solitaire Chess
Use chess moves to stretch your synapses. Solitaire Chess is a mental strategy game that uses the components of chess to solve logic puzzles of increasing difficulty. All components from playing pieces to instructions pack in a compact travel/storage case, making it a great on-the-go option for those who like a brain workout.

Approximate Price - $19.99 www.thinkfun.com

Deal With the Candy Witch

2010-10-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

Do you dread the candy holidays? They start in February with Valentine’s Day and continue year-round with the biggest candy fest happening on Halloween. What is a mother to do?
The good news is that kids usually forget about the candy after a few weeks. Sometimes letting them go nuts for a day or two gets it out of their systems. Here are a few suggestions to help you deal with the onslaught and avoid turning into a candy witch:

Deal With the Candy Witch
1. Buy a limited quantity
2. Make young children carry their own bag.
3. Sort the candy.
a. Set a limit for each day.
b. Move to the freezer.
c. Throw it away.
4. Plan ahead.

• Buy a limited quantity of the treats so you and your family won’t be tempted to eat leftovers.
• Make young children carry their own plastic pumpkin or bag. When they start saying it is too heavy, it is time to go home.
• Sort the candy. Limit the ones that are high in saturated or trans fats.
a. Set a limit on how much they can have in a day.
b. Set a time limit when the candy moves to the freezer.
c. Set a time limit when the candy will get thrown away.

• Plan ahead. Knowing the candy is coming, start to avoid fast food and cut down on fat and refined flours. This teaches balance. Get out your crock pot or slow cooker and make more meals with lots of vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains. Serve more fresh fruit snacks.

Healthy Kids Fun Run

2010-10-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Marc Goldman with the Marine Corp Marathon for the Healthy Kids Fun Run spoke with Peggy Fox this morning about getting kids in shape for the Healthy Kids Fun Run.

FAMILY Magazine has been sponsoring the run as well as the activity fair, Camp Miles for several years. In fact, FAMILY gives out a cash reward to the school that enters the most students.

With one-third of American children fighting obesity, healthy children should be our number one priority FAMILY Magazine has found that sponsoring the Healthy Kids Fun Run is a way for the magazine to encourage individuals and communities to become and stay physically active.

Here are Marc’s tips on making this event fun and healthy:

Running is fun.

Running is a family sport.

Run for distance, speed or both.

Here is the link to the run and fair:
http://www.marinemarathon.com/weekend_events/kids_run.htm

FACTS:
Healthy Kids Fun Run, 9:30 AM
October 30
Ages 6-13
Pentagon North Parking Lot
Advance Registration Needed

Camp Miles
Free Interactive Family Activities
9AM-2PM

You can still register now open for the annual Marine Corps Marathon Healthy Kids Fun. The race will be held in the Pentagon North Parking Lot. Children ages 6-13 are invited to participate in the one-mile just-for-fun event. All participants receive a t-shirt, medal and snacks at the finish line.

Also, Camp Miles will be going on.
Parents, families and runners are invited to visit Camp Miles, a free all-day activity area featuring interactive challenges and games focusing on health and fitness. Camp Miles activities begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m.

This year's activities include:
-CNN - Q&A with health experts including Dr. Sanjay Gupta
-FitArlington - Ring Toss, Fitness Dice, Hoop Jumpers, Ring Toss and more
-Washington Redskins Cheerleader autographs
-Junior League of Washington bookmark coloring activity
-Madame Tussauds wax figure of a surprise celebrity
-City Football Club street soccer game
-Pre-race warm-ups with Fit & Healthy Schools and Clif Bar
-Other great activities hosted by: National Children's Museum, DC United, Verizon Wireless, Max Muscle, FAMILY Magazine, Silver Diner, Toys for Tots and Sarah Stanley Inspired

They have a lot of great information about the race and all the activities on their website.
http://www.marinemarathon.com/Weekend_Events/kids_run.htm

Also, on the website you can download course information and other descriptions about the event.

It will be a lot of fun, and a great way to encourage our children to be healthy and stay physically active. If you go, send us your pictures so we can post them on our Facebook page.

Have fun!

Brenda

Internet Safety

2010-10-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal just released information from an investigation concerning online privacy on sites visited by children. They examined 50 sites to see what tracking tools they were using and how much information they gathered from children who visited the sites.

As a group the sites placed 4,23 cookies on the computers of the children who visited the sites. This is 30% more cookies than are found on the most popular US visited sites. In case you don’t know, a cookie is an electronic signature placed in your computer system when you visit an Internet site. It allows other sites to see where you have been on the Internet – to sort of track your preferences and activities.

It appears that companies are watching our kids even more than they are watching us.

Recently we asked the moms who read FAMILY Magazine to tell us what their concerns are about the internet and what they would like to see happen to help create a more secure experience for our children. Most moms said they were concerned. One suggestion was to put a domain name for adult sites that might be xxx.com. Other moms said they were concerned that parents of the friends of their children aren’t using the tools already available to limit access and monitor Internet usage. They felt their children were safe in their own home but not in the homes of some of their friends.

We also asked moms to tell us what fears their children had when it came to the Internet. Many of the children voiced a concern about cyber bullies. In fact, it was alarming how many responses told us threat their child had already experienced being bullied on the Internet.

Children were also fearful of adult pictures that sometimes pop up when they least expect them. They are fearful of sites they may accidentally go to that have content that is adult.

After a recent suicide by a college student, USA Today quoted Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, a group that educates families about Internet safety, “…no matter how many kids hurt themselves, the Internet is here to stay. The genie is out of the bottle. This is where kids live today, period. … And as a parent you can’t simply shut it out and protect yourself from the brave new world of social media.”

Education about Internet safety is important. Protecting our kids from bullies and malicious acts of unkindness is difficult. We need to start teaching digital good citizenship early and reinforce the message often. As Jim said, “ The genie is out of the bottle.” And, it is a new world; I am just not sure about the brave part. I think it is kind of scary.

What are you doing in your home to protect your children?

Has your child ever been the victim of cyber bullies?

Let me know. We want to continue this conversation.

Brenda

Going Back-To-Work and Breastfeeding

2010-09-20T05:26:00.000-07:00

Now is the time of year when a lot of moms go back-to-work. But what if you are breastfeeding? American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommends to breastfeed for at least a year, but many moms have difficulty reaching this goal once they return to work. Is there a way to successfully continue the positive breastfeeding relationship and work?

American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommends is 1 full year of breastfeeding.

32% new mothers give up breastfeeding within 7 weeks of returning to work.

Successful Return to Work --
Make a Transition Plan
Talk to your employer in advance
Remind yoru employer of the benefits to them
Nursing mom is happier
Less sick days for the baby
Lower health care costs overall
Begin to pump and freeze 2 weeks prior to returning to work
Get a fast, portable breast pump
Stick to your routine for your pumping schedule

*Non Breastfed Babies have
2033 more physician visits
212 more days in the hospital
609 more prescriptions

*According to a study by the Department of Pediatrics and Steele Memorial Children’s Research Center at the University of Arizona

If this topic is of interest to you, the September issue of FAMILY Magazine has a article concerning freezing and thawing breast milk. Here is a link to the complete text. There are also several other articles concerning breastfeeding that are linked to this article.

Information on healthcare reform concerning employed breastfeeding moms:

Developing Positive Parent-Teacher Relationships

2010-09-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

Having a good relationship with your child’s teacher will help ensure his success. Why is this important and what can parents do to develop this relationship?

Why is it important to have a positive relationship with the teacher?

It shows your child you care about their education

A prior relationships is helpful if there are problems in the future

Conversations are easier with the teacher

Ideas on how to build a positive relationship with your child’s teacher:

Meet the teacher as soon as possible

Don’t wait until there is a problem to meet your child’s teacher. And, try to meet her with an open mind.

Volunteer in the classroom.

Offer to decorate a bulletin board each month, Xerox worksheets or do other time consuming jobs that takes the teacher away from the students. At the same time, you will get to watch your child interact with other children and meet his friends.

Share your talents.

If you play an instrument, have traveled to another country or exciting place, or have an interesting job or hobby, offer to share it with the class. Children like to learn about new things and are usually very welcoming. Leave lots of time for questions and stories.

Help out with field trips.

If you can’t volunteer in the classroom because of your schedule, try to clean a day to accompany your child on a field trip. If you can’t do that perhaps you can prepare and keep track of permission slips or provide snacks.

Keep in touch.

Keep the teacher informed of any changes or stressful events that affect your child’s performance. Things such as a grandparent’s visit, death or injury of a pet, new sibling or death of a family member can affect a child’s school performance.

What can Dad’s do?

Read to the class once a month.

Eat with your child in the cafeteria once a month.

Attend parent-teacher conferences, concerts and open houses.

Volunteer for special projects or field trips.

The relationship you build with your child’s teacher will be rewarding to you and will benefit your child. It will boost their performance and your teacher will appreciate your involvement. The investment you make in this relationship now will be a positive force for the new school term.

Looking for fun Fall festivals?

2010-09-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

September ushers in the beginning of the Fall season. With Labor Day meaning the end of the summer for kids and parents alike, we look ahead to great festivals that are coming up this month.

Today Liz McConville, Resource Editor for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing family-friendly events for September.

From September 19th through September 24th, George Mason University is presenting the 2010 Fall for the Book Festival. The festival is a week-long, multiple-venue, regional festival that brings together people of all ages and interests. Some of the events include readings, book sales, meeting authors and much more. Events take place at George Mason University’s Fairfax, Virginia Campus and at locations throughout Northern Virginia. Washington DC and Maryland. All events are free and open to the public, however the events featuring Greg Mortenson and Kathryn Stockett need advance reservations. For more information, please visit www.fallforthebook.org.

Young children can celebrate the wonders of Fall at McLean Community Center’s Harvest Happenings. Performances feature Kidsinger Jim and Rocknoceros. The event will be held on September 25th from 11 AM-2 PM. Activities include amusement and carnival games, arts and crafts projects, face painting, temporary tattoos, a moon bounce, prizes and much more. Kids can purchase small pumpkins to decorate. There will also be free popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones for attendants, as well as The Tender Rib selling their entrees. Admission is $5 per person but free for children 2 and under. For more information, go to www.mcleancenter.org.

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

2010-08-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

As summer is drawing to a close, many of you are getting your little ones ready for their first day of kindergarten.

Today, FAMILY Magazine’s Assistant Editor Amy Bevins talked with Peggy Fox during the WUSA Mom’s Like Me segment about preparing your child for kindergarten. Here are a few of Amy’s tips.

Research shows that children from language-rich homes have an edge when they start school. So talk with your child.

Together observe the world around you. Count stairs. Compare big and little oranges at the store. Use street signs to discuss colors and shapes. Using the names of things adds to your child’s vocabulary. But be sure to keep it a back and forth conversation.

Add to what your child says to make the language richer – “Yes, I see the bird too. See how it has a brown back and a red tummy. That’s a robin. They eat worms. Would you like to have dinner with them?”

Answer and ask questions to teach kids how to hold conversations and how to listen.

Work with your child to retell events in order.

Before the first day –

o Take a tour of the school if possible
o Help them memorize their teacher’s name
o Practice the walk to school or the bus stop, noticing signs, colors, letters, landmarks along the way.
o Share memories of your school years
o Sign up to volunteer

And start a family tradition. In my family, I always made chocolate chip cookies to welcome the kids’ home from school. Over warm-from-the-oven cookies, we shared first day of school stories and reminisces.

How will you get your child ready for kindergarten and welcome them home from school?

Looking for last minute summer fun?

2010-08-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

August for many families means traveling, getting ready for school to start and trying to find great last minute ways to spend the summer. If your family’s plan is to stick around the area, there are numerous free evens and special deals going on that you should try out before the first school bell rings.

Today Liz McConville, Resource Editor for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing family-friendly events for August.

If you have Girl or Boy Scouts, make sure to check out the activities that are going on right now at Mount Vernon. Scouts can earn patches and pins by exploring what the site has to offer. This program runs through August 8th. Love the movie “National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets”? There’s a tour at Mount Vernon going on right now that takes you through where the movie was filmed and how those locations were used during George Washington’s time. For more information about these events, visit www.mountvernon.org.

Running through Labor Day, the Newseum is offering kids free admittance into the museum. The Newseum’s “Family Fun Deal – Kids FREE” promotion is designed to encourage families, particularly in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, to experience the Newseum. Up to 10 kids will be admitted free with each paid adult admission. This museum offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of new history with up-to-the-second technology and hands on exhibits. For additional information, the public may call 888/NEWSEUM (888/639-7386) or visit newseum.org.

If you’re looking for a night out without the kids but don’t want to shell out a lot of money on a babysitter, Adventure Theatre offers a fun alternative that both parents and kids will love. For only $25 per child, and $10 for each additional sibling, Adventure Theatre offers games, a movie and a Pizza dinner. This program runs every third Saturday a month from 6 p.m.-11 p.m. For more information, call 301-634-2270 or visit www.adventuretheatre.org.

Happy Parenting,
Brenda

Swimming Pool Safety

2010-07-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Today Jolie Perara, Marketing Manager of Washington FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now sharing some pool safety tips.

So what are some things you can do to keep your kids safer at the pool?

The most important tip we can give you is if your child is missing always check the pool first. – not the bathroom or the snack bar!

General Pool Area Safety
Fencing
Locks
Remove Hot Tub Covers

Most of us know about having locked fences around pools and completely removing pool and hot tub covers so kids don’t become trapped under them. But there are a number of other measures that make summer even safer.

Additional Pool Safety
Vigilance – NEVER OUT OF SITE
Touch Supervision
Informed Babysitter
Stay Away from Drains

Vigilance is the number one way to keep your kids safe. Most young children who drown in pools or hot tubs have been out of sight for less than five minutes. It can’t be said often enough, you have to watch your kids around water.

With infants and toddlers, use “touch supervision” meaning you are always within an arm’s length.

If a babysitter takes your child to the pool, make sure he or she knows about pool safety and the need for constant supervision.

Drains can be an issue. Because of the danger of kids being trapped underwater by the pool drain suction, federal legislation was enacted to help ensure all public pools and spas have safety-compliant drain covers and anti-entrapment systems. Make sure your pool is safe in this way.

To keep safe, kids should tie back long hair, remove jewelry, make sure their arms, legs and heads stay clear of the drains and not sit on drains. This goes for public as well as private pools and hot tubs.

Home Water Safety
Caution with Inflatable Pools
Keep the Phone Handy
Remove Toys from Pools
Keep Chairs/Table Clear of Pool
Locate the Circuit Breaker
Missing Child? Check the pool first!

Keep in mind that you don’t have to have an in ground pool to practice pool safety. Children can drown in as little as one inch of water. So think about inflatable and baby pools. Either fence or drain them when you are not using them.

With any size pool or hot tub, keep a phone nearby so you don’t leave your child unsupervised while running inside to answer it and so it’s right there for emergencies.

What if you are lucky enough to have a pool at home? Make sure toys are out of the pool after playtime to lessen the chance of a child falling in while reaching for a toy.

Keep chairs and tables away from the pool fence so that kids can’t climb the fence to get in to the pool.

If you do have a pool or hot tub, clearly label the circuit breaker in case it needs to be turned off in an emergency.

And if your child is missing, always check the pool first.

And remember, these tips apply to any pool from community pools to hot tubs in the backyard. Even if you don’t own a pool, your child may play with kids who do or their camp or daycare may take them to the pool. Be sure to teach them about the dangers of pool drains and pool safety.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Good links

Water Parks and Spray Parks
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Water-Parks-or-Water-Play

Build a WaterPark at Home
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Homemade-free-water-fun-Make-a-slip-n-slide_

Cool Ice Rinks
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Ice-Skating-Rinks

Best Playgrounds and Playground Safety

2010-07-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Now is the time of year when we are all taking advantage of the wonderful recreational facilities that we have in the Washington Region including some great parks & playgrounds for kids. July is also the month that FAMILY Magazine’s BEST for FAMILIES list comes out with over 50 playgrounds that moms think are great in our area.

However, according to the National Program for Playground Safety, each year over 205,000 preschool and elementary children receive emergency room care for injuries that occur in parks and playgrounds.

So, where are these great playgrounds and how can parents avoid injuries for their children?

Today on the Moms Like Me.com segment, Peggy Fox and I discussed good playgrounds and how to make sure they are safe.

This year there were over 6,000 Best for Families nominees in 93 categories with the voting for the best playground very tight. The number one playground was Clemyjonri Park in McLean. You can find the complete list of all the Best for Families nominees on our web site along with a list of playgrounds with pictures. Here are the links.

http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Favorite-Area-Parks-Playgrounds

http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Best-for-Families_

WHEN WE VISIT A PARK – HOW DO WE KNOW IT IS SAFE? What is the most important factor?

Safety Factors are:
Surface Material
Design & Spacing
Equipment Maintenance

The most important factor in playground safety is the surface. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission the vast majority of injuries reported from playgrounds were from falls.

And, according to the National Program for Playground Safety 15% of injuries could be classified as severe and 49% of those severe injuries were to the head and face.

A proper playground surface is one the most important factors to help reduce these injuries.

Appropriate surface materials include:

-Pea Gravel
-Sand
-Shredded or recycled rubber mulch
-Wood mulch (not CCA-treated – Chromated Copper Arsenate)
-Wood chips
-Materals tested to guidelines (ASTM F1292)
(Manufactured materials tested for cushioning such as rubber pads and engineered wood fibers)

So go ahead and take the kids out to the great parks and playgrounds in our area but be on the lookout for what the surface material is made of. You want it to be a safe experience as well as fun.

Here is a list of the playgrounds that were nominated as the best in our area by our readers. Do you have a favorite park or playground that we don’t have on our list? Send it along!

Washington, DC

Columbia Heights Community Center
1480 Girard Street, NW
Washington, DC
(202) 671-0373
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=652
Featuring an Arts and Crafts Room, a Computer Lab, a Conference Room, a Dance Room, a Game Room, an Indoor Gymnasium (w/stage), two Multi-purpose Room, a Music Studio, an Outdoor Basketball Court, a Playground, a Spray Park and a Weight Room.

East Potomac Park
Hains Pt & Ohio Dr S
(202) 554-7660
East Potomac Park is a 300+ acre peninsula located between the Washington Channel and the Potomac River. Hains Point, at the southern end of the park, is a popular picnic spot with a great view of the city and features a mini-golf course, a playground, a public outdoor pool, tennis courts, picnic facilities, and a recreation center. New equipment is set on rubber mat surfacing which accommodates strollers and wheelchairs. This beautiful park has plenty of shade, bathrooms, picnic benches and lots of areas for kids to run around.

Friendship "Turtle" Park
4500 Van Ness Street, NW
(202) 282-2198
This is one of the best playgrounds in DC, with plenty of slides, swings, tunnels, and climbing structures. There is a fenced area with plenty of shade, benches and picnic tables. Other amenities include a sand box with turtles, basketball and tennis courts, softball/soccer fields and a recreation center.

Guy Mason Recreation Center
3600 Calvert St NW, [at Observatory Cir NW]
Washington, DC 20007
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=51
Parking: parking lot in park. Amenities include a Baseball Field for Little League and Softball, a Hockey/Basketball Court, Large Multi-Purpose Room, a Picnic Area, a Playground & a Small Multi-Purpose Room.

Hardy Recreation Center
4500 Q St., NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 282-2190
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=20
Amenities include a 100'x40' Soccer Field, a Basketball Court, Medium Multi-Purpose Room, Picnic Area, two Playgrounds and two Tennis Courts.

Hearst Recreation Center
3600 Tilden St., NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 282-2207
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=52
Featuring a Basketball Court, Medium Multi-Purpose Room, a Picnic Area, a Playground, a Small Multi-Purpose Field, a Soccer Field, & three Tennis Courts.

Kalorama Park
19th Street & Kalorama Rd. NW.
Kalorama Park is a large playground in the heart of Adams Morgan next to Kalorama Recreation Center. The playgrounds are divided into big-kid and little-kid fenced play areas.

Lafayette Recreation Center
5900 33rd St., NW
Washington, DC 20015
(202) 282-2206
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=53
Features two Athletic Fields with 60' Diamond, a Basketball Court, a Picnic Area, two modern playgrounds (one for younger kids and one for older), a Small Multi-Purpose Room & four tennis courts.

Macomb Recreation Center
3409 Macomb St., NW
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 282-2199
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=54
Amenities include a Baseball Field with 60' Diamond, a Basketball Court, a Picnic Area, two Playgrounds & a Small Multi-Purpose Room.

Marie Reed Recreation Center
2200 Champlain St., NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 673-7768
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=13
Featuring an indoor Swimming Pool, a lighted Basketball Court & four lighted Tennis Courts.

Stoddert Recreation Center
4001 Calvert St., NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 282-2193
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=56
Amenities include an Athletic Field with 60' Diamond, a Playground and a
Small Multi-Purpose Room.

Volta Park Recreation Center (formerly Georgetown)
1555 34th St., NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 282-0380
http://app.dpr.dc.gov/DPR/information/rec_center/rec_center.asp?id=15
Features include a Baseball Field with 60' Diamond, a Basketball Court, a Playground, a Small Multi-Purpose Room, a Swimming Pool & two Tennis Courts.

Maryland

Cabin John Regional Park
7400 Tuckerman Lane
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 299-0024
http://www.mc-mncppc.org/Parks/facilities/regional_parks/cabinjohn/index.shtm
Huge park with lots of climbing structures, slides, mazes, play houses, swings, Cinderella's pumpkin carriage, airplane, and cars. Other features include miniature train, snack bar, rest rooms, hiking trails, picnic areas, indoor/outdoor tennis courts, ice skating rink, Locust Grove Nature Center, the Cabin John Amphitheatre and lighted athletic fields. Plenty of shade. During the summer months, evening concerts are offered to the public free of charge.

Candy Cane Park
Beach Drive & Rollingwood Dr.
Chevy Chase, MD
Huge park that has recently been renovated. There are separate big kid and little kid play areas, tennis courts, basketball courts, playing fields, bathrooms, pavilions and shade. The park is located next to Meadowbrook Stables so kids can walk around and look at the horses.

Hadley's Playground at Falls Road Local Park
Falls Road, Potomac, MD
Themed play areas include a castle, fort, pirate ship, and two-lane road, all of which include ramps and other features to accommodate wheelchairs and strollers. Plenty of open space for kids to run, play ball or ride bikes. Limited shade.

Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Park
1120 Jackson Road
Silver Spring, Maryland 20904
301-622-1193
http://www.mcparkandplanning.org/Parks/park_of_the_day/oct/parkday_oct24.shtm
This 95-acre park includes an outdoor and indoor swimming pool operated by the Montgomery Recreation Department, and tennis courts, ball fields, a playground, and small lake. Also includes an outdoor pool and swim center.

Seneca Creek State Park
11950 Clopper Road
Gaithersburg, MD
(301) 924-2127
Beautiful park with a huge playground made with recycled tires. Kids love the zip line, ‘Bouncy Spider Hammock,' and the ‘Dragon' Lots of climbing equipment. Park has a lake, boating, fishing, hiking tails, a disc golf course, pavilions, bathrooms and lots of shade.

South Germantown Recreational Park
18041 Central Park Circle
Boyds, Maryland 20841
17920 Germantown Park Drive
Germantown, MD 20841 (adventure playground)
301-601-4410
http://www.mcparkandplanning.org/parks/facilities/south_germantown/index.shtm
Facilities at South Germantown Recreational Park include hiking trails, picnic facilities, an indoor sports complex, 22 soccer fields with a lighted stadium, baseball and softball fields, a playground, archery range, golf driving range, two miniature golf courses, a splash playground, model boating lake, a tot lot, and an indoor aquatic center. Splash Playground - Kids can cool off playing in a massive waterfall, tumbling buckets, a rain tree, water tunnel, 36' water maze with 280 ground-level jets. Lockers, cubbies, showers, dressing rooms, restrooms and a vending are nearby. (301) 601-3580. Adventure Playground - This modern playground includes unique equipment including a medieval castle, pirate ship, world map, mazes, xylophones, and sea serpents.

Watkins Regional Park
301 Watkins Park Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD
(301) 218-6700
Park with playgrounds, picnic areas, hiking and biking trails, Watkins Nature Center, the Chesapeake Carousel, Old Maryland Farm, the Watkins Regional Park miniature train, Watkins Miniature Golf Course, softball, football and soccer fields, basketball courts, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and 34 campsites.

Wheaton Regional Park
Wheaton, MD 20902
301-680-3803
Visitors can enjoy a variety of recreational and educational opportunities within its 536 acres. Take a ride on the train, go horseback riding, have a picnic, go fishing, ice skate or play ball. Relax and tour the botanical gardens and conservatory, attend a nature program, or traverse the trails and discover the park's beauty. Shorefield Area features Picnic Shelters (A-H) and playground, Miniature Train and Historic Carousel, Pine Lake & Trails. Glenallan Area contains Brookside Gardens, Brookside Nature Center and Horse Stables. Orebaugh Area has F. Frank Rubini Athletic Complex, Tennis and Court Facilities, Ice Arena and In-Line Skating Facilities & a Dog Park.

Virginia

Fairfax County Park Authority
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks
Phone: 703-324-8702
Fax: 703-324-3991
12055 Government Center Parkway
Fairfax, VA 22035-1118
Park sites throughout Fairfax County
RECenters w/indoor pools and fitness facilities, classes (swimming, exercise, arts, dance, tots, etc.), camps, nature and history programs, day trips, programs for people with disabilities, concerts, leagues, golf courses, ice rink, working farm.

Algonkian Park
20280 Cascades Parkway
Sterling, VA
(703) 444-1459
One of the biggest playgrounds in the area with swings, tunnels, bouncing bridges, slides, and ladders. New equipment, plenty of shade, and lots of picnic tables and benches.

Ashburn Dinosaur Park
43546 Partlow Road
Ashburn, VA
A 16-acre park with three separate playgrounds for different ages. Plenty of shade. There is a picnic pavilion which is a good place for a birthday party, and walking trails leading to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Bull Run Regional Park
7700 Bull Run Dr.
Centreville, VA 20121
703-631-0550
www.nvrpa.org/parks/bullrun/index.php
Bull Run's spacious fields accommodate groups for picnics, camping or special events. Bull Run's scenic woodland and trails offer miles of hiking and solitude. A large outdoor pool is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Disc golf is open April through October. A public shooting center, which includes sporting clays, skeet, trap, wobble trap and indoor archery, is open year-round. The children's playground is open year round and is conveniently located near restrooms. This summer marks the opening of Atlantis Waterpark. The new features include a 25-foot high play structure with a 1,100-gallon dumping bucket, water slides, waterfalls and squirters.

Burke Lake Park
7315 Ox Road,
Fairfax Station, VA
703-323-6600
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelake/
218-acre lake with fishing, boating, rowboat rental, camping, a miniature train, a carousel, outdoor volleyball courts, open fields, an 18-hole par 3 golf course, clubhouse with snack bar and driving range, disk golf, horse shoe pits, an ice cream parlor, picnic areas with grills, 3 playgrounds, trails, amphitheater, and a brand new miniature golf course. Swimming and windsurfing are prohibited.

Chestnut Hills Park
N. Harrison St. & 27th St. N.
Arlington, VA 22207
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/ParksRecreation/scripts/parks/ChestnutHillsPark.aspx
Features include portable Toilets, Water Fountains, School-Age Playground (combination school-age and pre-school) and a Community Garden. Fenced in. It is located adjacent to Greenbrier Stadium and Running Track.

Clemyjontri Park
6317 Georgetown Pike
McLean, Virginia 22101
703-388-2807
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/PARKS/CLEMYJONTRI/
Features a unique playground where children of all abilities can play side-by-side. It is a playground where every child is welcome. Children who use wheelchairs, walkers or braces, or who have sensory or developmental disabilities, can have a parallel playground experience. At Clemyjontri ramps connect structures, swings have high backs, arm rests and special safety features, rubber surfacing allows wheelchairs to roll easily, lowered monkey bars provide easy access, equipment is designed to be sensory rich so all children can participate with peers, & wider openings allows easy access to play structures. Other features include a carousel and a picnic pavilion. The entrance road leads to an 81-space parking area and a drop-off zone for vehicles whose passengers need close access. Future development will include other amenities in the surrounding 10 acres of space.

Costello Park
99 Adams Street
Manassas Park, Virginia 20111
is a 25 acre park featuring a recreation center, a community pool, a playground, five baseball fields, three softball fields, two tennis courts, an outdoor basketball court, several picnic areas with grills and a covered pavilion. Costello Park is open year round from 7:30 a.m. until dusk. Also in Costello Park is the Stone House. The Stone House serves the community as additional meeting space for the various City ‘non-profits'. The Recreation Center is open to Manassas Park residents upon completion of the Recreation Center Application.

Fantasy Playground
(outside Tall Oaks)
12298 Cotton Mill Drive
Lake Ridge, VA 22192
A large, wooden play area is located on Cotton Mill Rd. Other amenities for children include18 Tot Lots and 12 Basketball Courts.

Great Falls Grange Playground
9818 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA
(703)938-8835
Newly renovated playground with rock climbing walls, tire swings, merry-go-round, and a cave with dinosaur fossils. Plenty of shade, benches, pavilions and picnic tables.

Great Falls Park
9200 Old Dominion Dr.
McLean, VA 22102
Visitor Information
(703) 285-2965
http://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm
There are many opportunities for outdoor recreation at Great Falls Park including Falls and River Viewing, Bicycling, Bird Watching, Boating, Climbing, Fishing, Hiking, Horseback Riding & Picnicking. Great Falls Park has fifteen miles of hiking trails, five of which are multi-use for horseback riding, hiking, and biking. Trail maps are available at both the entrance station and the Visitor Center.

Hayes Park
1516 N. Lincoln St.
Arlington, VA 22201
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/ParksRecreation/scripts/parks/HayesPark.aspx
Features include: restrooms, water fountains, Picnic Shelter, Picnic Table, School-Age Playground (combination school-age and pre-school, enclosed), Tennis Court (2 courts with lights), Basketball Court (1 court with lights), Spray Park (accessible, Summer only). The Spray Park is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day from 10:00am to 8:00pm. Please note that hours of operation for the Spray Park may vary on holidays.

Lacey Woods Park
1200 North George Mason Drive
Arlington, VA 22205
http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/ParksRecreation
Park Hours: Sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset except on lighted facilities.
Features a Multi-use field, School-Age Playground (combination school-age and pre-school), accessible restrooms, lighted Basketball Court, water fountains and picnic shelter found at comfort station, rental picnic shelter is in woods, includes use of open green space area, picnic tables, charcoal grills, nature trails & Ornamental Garden. Some special features are a fenced park with wooded area, open green space, and fire ring.

Lake Accotink Park
7500 Accotink Park Rd.
Springfield, VA - 22150
703-569-0285
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/accotink/facilities.htm
Its 493 acres include a 55-acre lake with boating, fishing, hiking, miniature golf, a carousel, snack bar, tour boat rides, trails, picnic areas and playgrounds. Boats powered by electric motors, sailboats under 15 feet and kayaks are allowed on the lake. Pay $2 launch fee at marina. Swimming and windsurfing are prohibited.

Ratcliffe Park
10300 Sager Ave
Fairfax, VA 22030
Features basketball courts, a Little League field, small multipurpose field & playground equipment

Signal Hill Park
9300 Signal View Dr
Manassas, VA 22110
(703) 335-8874
http://www.cityofmanassaspark.us/public_documents/manassasparkva_parksrec/signal
A 110 acre site with a Water Park, four multi-purpose fields, an ASA regulation softball field, 100 sq. foot playground, one mile of asphalt trail, large pavilion with restrooms, a pond area, and several picnic areas with grills. Signal Hill Park is open year round from 7:30 a.m. until dusk, and is located off Signal View Drive near Manassas Drive.

Van Dyke Park
3720 Old Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA
Features a lighted basketball court, exercise trail, multipurpose play areas, picnic shelters, playground equipment, lighted tennis courts, sand volleyball court and a future location of city community center

Woodmont Park
2422 N. Fillmore Street, Arlington, VA
(703) 228-6525
Woodmont Park has new play equipment and nearby facilities for a wide range of ages. Play area includes play houses, rocking whale, slides, a rope bridge and monkey bars. Other facilities include benches, pavilion, basketball court, and a baseball field.

What’s Fresh at the Farmer’s Market?

2010-07-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

July and August are two of the most bountiful months for fresh fruits and vegetables. Now is the time stop at one of the many produce stands and pick up some of this bounty. Here’s what’s in season:
Veggies
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Green beans
• Lettuce
• Summer squash
• Tomatoes
Fruits
• Apricots
• Blueberries
• Cantaloupe
• Kiwi
• Peaches
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Watermelon

Keep a supply of reusable bags in the car so you will be ready when you see a stand. Try sampling varieties that are not on your usual menu. Be daring! Once you get home the fun begins.

Sorting Veggies
Touching and smelling the produce is a large part of the fun. Start by sorting the vegetables. Keep tomatoes in a bowl on the counter because they do not do well when refrigerated. Use the really ripe ones immediately. All the other veggies can go wrapped in plastic bags into the refrigerator (less esthetic but they keep longer); however, no one seems to agree on eggplant. Some say to refrigerate others not. I would leave the eggplant out and use it within a day or two. If after two days and the eggplant has not been used, then refrigerate. I like leaving as many vegetables out as possible because not only are the lovely but they are also easy to grab for a snack. Plus seeing them is a reminder of what to cook for dinner.

Sorting Fruit
Cantaloupe, peaches, apricots, plums, and kiwi can also be left out if not ripe. Berries generally go right into the refrigerator as do watermelon. Watermelon is best served cold. If the watermelon is not quite ripe, leave out.

Easy Ways to Turn Produce into Meals (Always wash fresh produce before using.)
Grilling is one of the easiest ways to cook vegetables in the summer. This works best for eggplant, summer squash, and tomatoes. You can add in onions too. (If you cook onions on the grill, instead of in foil, leave on the skin.)

First rub veggies with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and /or your favorite herbs like fresh basil, thyme, fresh garlic, and a squirt of fresh orange or lemon and either wrap in foil or put straight on a grill. First rub the grill grates with olive or canola oil. Always remember to clean your grill before you cook. Rule of thumb: Make sure to burn off all the grease, etc. after each use and then take a wire brush to the grates before you use the grill again.

There is much debate about the best way to cook corn. Corn can be cooked right in its husks on the grill, husked and wrapped in foil and cooked on the grill, or husked and boiled for a short time. Corn can also be cut off the cob and added to salsas and salads.

Parchment paper is another quick delicious way to cook vegetables. You can take fish and add tomatoes, green beans, onions, lemon zest and seasoned salt, roll it up and put it in the oven. Zucchini pancakes, sautéed squash blossoms, and ratatouille are some quick ways to use this abundant vegetable.

Of course, fresh salad and salsa are tasty ways to use fruits and vegetables together. Watermelon salsa with corn, chili peppers, onion and mango make a great combination. Experiment with new dips like red pepper hummus, Babaganoush (made with eggplant), and homemade ranch dressing (made with yogurt) and serve with lightly steamed green beans, fresh cukes, and sliced tomatoes. Fresh or lightly steamed veggies make a nutritious accompaniment to any summer meal. Sliced fresh cucumber, thinly sliced onions, and red pepper flakes mixed with seasoned rice vinegar make a good side with grilled fish and store bought sushi.

With the berries you can make fruit tarts and berry coulis (sauce) for ice cream and sorbets. Berry coulis is also good to drizzle on grilled fish served with fresh lemon slices. Add berries to cereal or fresh yogurt and put them into fruit smoothies. You can also freeze berries and pop them straight into your mouth for a refreshing snack! The options are unlimited. Caramelize peaches and apricots and add a dab of crème fraise.

Dealing with Homesickness at Camp or College

2010-06-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

In the past, parents and doctors have thought homesickness was an unavoidable part of childhood. In fact, 95% of boys and girls report feeling homesick at summer camp. Mild homesickness may remit spontaneously after a few days, but severe homesickness typically worsens over time.

Summer camp is an expensive experience and highly rewarding. But homesickness can ruin your child¹s camp stay. It doesn't have to be that way at camp or when you send them off to college.

On Monday Brenda Hyde, Publisher of FAMILY Magazine, was on WUSA9 to share with parents more about this topic.

So how do parents prevent homesickness if it is universal?

There are ways parents can anticipate and lessen the distress that homesickness can cause among kids and teens at summer camps, hospitals, boarding schools and colleges so that homesickness will not get in the way of the important character-building lessons that these experiences bring.

PREVENTION

Talk About It

Talk to kids about the experience ahead of any separation, whether it's for camp, college or a hospital stay of even a few days. What you say beforehand matters and it is very important for the intensity of homesickness.

Homesickness Is Normal

One of the most important things for parents and doctors to recognize, and to say to kids before any separation, is that it's normal, not strange, to feel homesick. In fact, research has shown that 90 percent of children attending summer camp feel some levels of homesickness and that 20 percent face a serious level of distress that, if untreated, worsens over time and interferes with their ability to benefit from a camp experience.

Involve the Child

Involve children in the decision to spend time away from home, so that they have a sense of control.

Practice
Arrange for a practice time away from home. This would be extremely important for a child who might not have gone to summer camp and is heading off to college.

Learn About Camp
Work with the child to learn about the camp or school so they know what to
anticipate. Try to meet other campers.

Know if Your Child is Ready
Above all, know whether your child is really ready for a separation. If you are not sure, ask their doctor, but not while the child can hear the conversation.

DEALING WITH HOMESICKNESS

Take Action – Camper
Do something fun, such as play with friends, to forget about homesick feelings.

Do something (write a letter, look at a family picture) to feel closer to home.

Go see someone who can talk with you to help you feel better.

Think about the good side of things (activities, friends) to feel better.

Think that time away is actually pretty short to make time go by faster.

Try not to think about home and loved ones to forget about homesickness.

Think about loved ones to figure out what they would say to help.

Take Action - Parents

Parents ¬ write your child and suggest these action items.

No Telephone Calls or Texting

At summer camps, anecdotal evidence suggests that telephone calls, and to a lesser extent instant messaging, exacerbate homesickness during relatively short stays away from home. Such real-time correspondence also erodes the burgeoning independence that camps and trips are designed to nurture. Therefore, parents are strongly discouraged from insisting they talk with their homesick child during a short stay away. Chances are great that such contact will only increase the distress for both parties. Old-fashioned
letters may be the best way to maintain contact with home. They lack the emotionally quality of a telephone call, and they require narrative reflection, which promotes understanding of one¹s experience. Keeping a journal also helps.

Make NO DEALS

Under no circumstances of planned, recreational separations from home should parents ever make a "pick-up deal" with their son or daughter.48 Promising that "if you don¹t like it, I¹ll come pick you up" reduces the child’s likelihood of success for several reasons. First, the subtext of such deals is "I have so little confidence in your ability to cope with this normal response to separation that I believe the only solution is for me to rescue you." Such expressions of anxiety and doubt contradict the recommended expressions of optimism and confidence outlined above. Second, such deals plant the seeds of homesickness by giving young people the expectation that they will not like the new place. Negative separation attitudes are powerful predictors of homesickness. Third, such deals prevent the development of effective coping by pointing young people toward an escape route. Fourth, such deals paralyze surrogate caregivers who, after enthusiastic support and coaching, may be faced with a child who says, "My parents said that if I didn’t like it here, they would come to get me." Parents are then faced with 2 equally unsatisfactory choices: (1) fulfill their promise, pick the child up, and deprive him or her of a wonderful opportunity to grow and develop; or (2) renege on their promise and suffer an erosion of trust in their relationship with the child.

All in all, summer camp and other separations from home can be great "life training" experiences for children, building their independence and teaching self-reliance and social skills that they'll use throughout life.

Preparing for First Overnight Camp

2010-06-21T08:31:00.001-07:00

Sending a child to their first overnight camp is a big step. It is a seperation process—not just something that happens one gorgeous sunny summer day. While much energy will be focused on your camper and this great growth experience, it is important to also remember that you must prepare for the separation as well.

Today Brenda Hyde, Publisher of FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing ideas on how to prepare for that first overnight camp experience.

Here are some tips on making this a positive experience:

----TIPS FOR CAMPERS

Prepare In Advance – try out sleeping at Grandma’s house
If your child has never slept away from home, try sending him or her to stay with a grandparent or friend for a night or two. Following this “overnight,” reward your child for his efforts and relate the experience to the upcoming summer.

Learn Daily Living Skills in Advance
Daily living skills are an important element of any quality overnight camp program. An 8-year-old child should be able to brush her teeth and hair, and make her own bed - maybe not perfectly, but good enough for camp.

Develop Bedtime Routines
Bedtime routines are important to a good night’s sleep and can be adapted for camp. If your child sings a song at bedtime with a parent or sibling, help them sing it alone or with a stuffed animal. This will help them adjust to a night at camp without you. These routines are important to children as they provide a level of stability that can be comforting when away from home.

----TIPS FOR PARENTS

Prepare for Departure Day
Keep positive and don’t show any of your own anxiety to your child. Be overwhelmingly positive. Remember to tell your child that it was one of the most glorious times of your life and how much fun you had at camp. Provide your child with a sense of encouragement and stability needed – not a horror story of spider, ghosts and crying yourself to sleep!

Don’t Brag About Your Newfound Freedom
For parents with children out of the house, this newfound independence can be intoxicating for some and depressing for others. Don’t paint a picture of heaven with your child at camp or talk about all the exciting plans you have while they are away. If you plan on taking a vacation, be cognizant of the effect on your child.

Write to Your Camper
Be careful what you write. Letters from parents that reinforce how miserable they are without their child can be difficult for a child to deal with. While it is important that they know you love them – hearing how miserable you are (or are not!) without them can be a tough message to receive. And finally, encourage siblings and grandparents to write as well—children love receiving mail at camp!

So – the bottom line is to recognize there is a process to the summer separation. Going off to an overnight camp can be a remarkable growing experience. If you prepare your son or daughter to the best of your abilities, you can relax and take comfort in having made a good decision even better.

TIPS FOR CAMPERS

Prepare In Advance – try out sleeping at Grandma’s house
Learn Daily Living Skills in Advance
Develop Bedtime Routines
TIPS FOR PARENTS

Prepare for Departure Day
Don’t Brag About Your Newfound Freedom
Write to Your Camper

Preparing for First Overnight Camp

2010-06-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

10 Summer Fun Things to Do

2010-06-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and it won’t be long before you are looking for something to do with the kids. It does not take long for boredom to set in. But don’t panic yet. Today Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing some tips on some unusual things to do with your kids in the Washington area.

1. Become a Junior Ranger
2. Introduce your Kids to Flashlight Tag
3. Pick Your Own Farms - Smile Purple
A mouthful of sun warmed blackberries yields a purple smile.
4. Kick up your Heels at Contra Dancing
www.contradancers.com.
5. Live a Little History with Reenactments
6. Start a Kid’s Book Club
7. Take Them Out to the Ballpark – A trip to the Minor League games
www.baysox.com
potomac.nationals.milb.com
www.frederickkeys.com
8. Centuries of Growth - National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
9. Watch the Women Play – Washington Freedom Soccer
10. Let Them be Bored

1. Become a Junior Ranger
With 19 locations in the metro area from Rock Creek Park, Wolf Trap and the Lincoln Memorial to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and Ford’s Theater (and dozens more across the US), Junior Ranger programs teach kids ages 6-14 about National Parks through activities, games and more. Visit www.nps.gov/learn/juniorranger.htm.

2. Introduce your Kids to Flashlight Tag
Remember the long summer evenings playing outside until darkness fell? Give your kids the gift of summer memories by teaching them some your childhood games. Check out www.gameskidsplay.net for a list of directions to many childhood favorites.

3. Pick Your Own Farms - Smile Purple
A mouthful of sun warmed blackberries yields a purple smile. Take the kids for a memorable day at a pick your own farm and let them enjoy truly fresh fruits and vegetables. Check out www.pickyourown.org to find a farm nearby.

4. Kick up your Heels at Contra Dancing
The Virginia Reel isn’t just something your kids learn in 4th grade gym class. Try Contra dancing for toe-tapping, hand-clapping family fun. With live music and plenty of good-natured instruction, you and your kids can have old fashioned fun spinning and sashaying through timeless dances. To find a Contra dance location near you visit www.contradancers.com.

5. Live a Little History with Reenactments
Feel history enfold you at living history reenactments. As an epicenter of our country’s history, the DC area hosts a myriad of historical reenactments including the anniversary commemoration at the Manassas Battlefield Park July 17-18 (www.nps.gov/mana) and the Civil War encampments at Rose Hill Manor Park (www.rosehillmuseum.com).

6. Start a Kid’s Book Club
Book Clubs aren’t just for the moms. Gather a small group of kids, choose a book and plan some fun activities to share the story. For example, read Little House in the Big Woods and make homemade butter the way Ma did in Chapter 2. Read Hatchet and try out some survival skills. Make bread like the Little Red Hen or at night, look for bats like Stellaluna.

7. Take Them Out to the Ballpark – A trip to the Minor League games
Minor League baseball is a more affordable treat for the entire family. You get the full ballpark feel (the crack of the bat, the hot dogs and popcorn, the 7th inning stretch) at a fraction of the cost. And who knows, maybe you’ll see the next “Hank Aaron” in waiting.
www.baysox.com
potomac.nationals.milb.com
www.frederickkeys.com

8. Centuries of Growth - National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
A tree older than George Washington? The National Arboretum is home to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum which features bonsai trees dating back more than 400 years. Many of these remarkable trees were being shaped and formed before our country began. www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/collections/bonsai.html

9. Watch the Women Play – Washington Freedom Soccer
This summer, Washington Freedom, DC’s women’s professional soccer team, takes the field at RFK and the Maryland SoccerPlex for the second season of the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league. www.womensprosoccer.com/dc

10. Let Them be Bored
It’s ok to let your kids be bored once in awhile. Set out craft supplies, books, and puzzles and let them discover how to entertain themselves. They might just surprise you with their creativity

Looking for some great Family-Friendly entertainment?

2010-06-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

June marks the end of the school year for many schools and that means many parents are looking for fun and interesting ways to keep their children entertained.

Today Liz McConville, Resource Editor for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing family-friendly events for spring.

Adventure Theatre presents the United States premiere of The Red Balloon, based on the 1956 film and book "Le Ballon Rouge" by Albert Lamorisse and adapted for the stage by Anthony Clarke. Directed by Roberta Gasbarre, The Red Balloon marks the fourth production of Adventure Theatre's 58th season and runs through June 13, 2010. Adventure Theatre's The Red Balloon features Pasquale, a lonely French boy, who befriends an enchanted and sometimes mischievous red balloon. The charming pair draws inquisitive looks from adults and the envy of other school children as they wander the streets of Paris. Tickets can be purchased through the box office by calling 301-634-2270 or online at www.adventuretheatre.org. Tickets are $12 for children 12 and under and $15 for adults. Group rates are available. Children under the age of 1 are free. All performances will take place at Adventure Theatre, 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD, 20812 in the historic Glen Echo Park.

Get the family together to go back in time at this year’s Virginia Renaissance Festival. June 12 & 13 marks the last weekend for the festival. Each weekend had a special theme and this weekend celebrates Celtic Heritage. The festival runs from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. on the grounds of the Lake Anna Winery in Spotsylvania, VA. For more information visit their web site at www.varf.org.

Come out to Sky Meadows State Park June 26th-27th to sleep under the stars for the Great American Backyard Campout. Bring your tent and supplies and you can get help setting up your site. There will also be programs on hiking, backpacking and more at the Outdoor Skills Station sponsored by Blue Ridge Mountain Sports. Dinner will be provided by Bloom in Marshall. There will be an appearance by Smokey the Bear & music by the group campfire. Other activities include meeting some native wildlife, guided nature hikes and candlelight tours of the Historic Mount Bleak House. Advanced registration is $18.65 tax included and $30 plus tax at the gate. For more information visit www.backyardcampout.org or call 800-933-PARK.

Making home a learning community

2010-05-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last week Obama administration officials took part in National Lab Day around Washington DC. National Lab Day brings hands-on, exciting, and experiment-based learning to kids all over the country, with a major focus on science, technology, engineering, and math—also known as STEM. However, considering today’s headlines that are wrought with systemic problems—such as uncontrollable oil spills, cancer, and economic crisis’s—I have to wonder if one day of hands-on learning in STEM subjects will improve the quality of education enough to address these substantial challenges this generation will face as adults. I think we can all agree it won’t.
The first thing moms can do is to broaden their definition of home from being just a place to eat, sleep and play. Home should be thought of as a learning community.
Families that are defined as learning communities have the following characteristic:
1. Develop conversations that larger than the family. For example, if you live a neatly manicured suburb, talk about what it might be like to live without a HOA association. Then, get involved in an organization that helps to revamp a park in a low-income area, such as KaBOOM!
2. Be committed to mastering skills. Mastery takes patience and time, so it is helpful to understand the three step learning process. The first step of teaching is to introduce the idea through modeling. The second step is let the child develop the skill through trial and error, and the final step is when the child can demonstrate with confidence the concept.
3. Set a schedule for learning, especially during the summer months. For instance, no electronics until 15 minutes of math is practiced and 15 minutes of reading is finished. The key is to be consistent.
4. Set up learning stations in the home. Learning stations can be as simple as a plastic tote filled with tools necessary to develop thinking in STEM areas.

The next generation will need a first-class workforce that is strong enough to tackle tough problems, and one way families can help is to be committed to nurturing an environment of learning in the home. For more information on how-to do this visit www.washingtonfamily.com

Are you looking for somewhere great to take the family?

2010-05-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and with that comes restless kids. Are you looking for somewhere to take the family? Are you looking for something educational but yet still fun? Are you looking for something that you’ll be entertained at as well? Look no further!

Today Liz McConville, Resource Editor for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing family-friendly events for spring.

Running through October both Congressional Plaza and Rockville Town Square are hosting Mommy & Me And Daddies Too. The first event is at Congressional Plaza on Thursday, May 13 and then at Rockville Town Square on Tuesday, May 18. Both are from 10 am-Noon. Join them for fun, free programs for you and your little one including face painting, balloon animals, live entertainment, kids eat FREE and much more! Mommy & Me is brought to you by Federal Realty Investment Trust and the merchants and restaurants at Congressional Plaza and Rockville Town Square. For more information, visit congressionalplaza.com or rockvilletownsquare.com or call 301-998-8178.

Little Tots Summer Fun Series is a free interactive family entertainment series at various locations through Maryland and Virginia. The dates and locations are Downtown Silver Spring, MD on Wednesday, May 26, Virginia Gateway in Gainesville, VA on Wednesday, May 26, Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, MD on Wednesdays, May 5 & 19, Fairfax Corner in Fairfax, VA on Wednesday, June 2. Entertainers will include Mad Science, Blue Sky Puppets, The Great Zucchiini, Katie 4 Kids, Kidsinger Jim, Animal Ambassadors & Peter McCory.

ViVa! Vienna! is hosted by The Rotary Club of Vienna, VA from Saturday, May 29-Monday, May 31 and located along Vienna’s Historic Church Street. This event, a time of family fun and pleasure, serves as a major fund raising opportunity for the Rotary Club so that it may, in turn, provide support for charitable, educational, and community groups the following year. The proceeds generated from ViVa! Vienna! are used to support local civic initiatives and contribute to local and international humanitarian activities. In 2010 The Rotary Club of Vienna will be able to donate $124,000 to these causes. In the past three years, over $300,000 was donated from proceeds generated by Viva! Vienna! Festival includes food, amusements, entertainment & vendors. Local Vendors will offer a great variety of foods including Pizza, Barbecue, Hot dogs and hamburgers, Italian sausage, Thai, Lebanese, and Chilean meals, Popcorn, kettle corn, and funnel cakes, Shaved ice treats and cotton candy, Candied apples, Soft and homemade ice cream. Free Shuttle bus service from James Madison High School and Vienna Metro Station on Saturday & Sunday till 10 p.m., Monday till 6 p.m. For more information visit www.vivaviennava.org or call 703-255-4742.

Happy Parenting,

Brenda

Sport Snacks – Make Them Healthy

2010-04-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

Mom’s Like Me Segment with Judy Caplan, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Editor for Washington FAMILY Magazine
Sport Snacks – Make Them Healthy
Outdoor sports are getting ready for the end of the year tournaments. The weather is getting warmer and the humidity is rising. Before you run out to Costco to buy the standard fare, you might ask yourself, “Are snacks really necessary after a team practice or a game?”
Here are some tips to snack on:
1. Keep Kids Hydrated
Children always need to drink fluids when they are exercising, especially if the weather is warm. Plain water is always best for hydration. If you buy bottled water or have your own plastic water bottle, be sure to avoid BPA plastics and those labeled 3, 6, or 7. The numbers are on the bottom of the bottles.

2. When Are Sports Drinks Necessary?
Sport drinks are high in calories and sugar and are not necessary. That is not to say they should never be used, especially if your child is exceedingly active, sweats excessively, or has a diet low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The main function of sports drinks is to supply electrolytes. The main problem with sports drinks is the amount of calories. A 12 oz. bottle of Gatorade has 310 calories practically a meal’s worth. If you buy Gatorade, G-2 is a much better lower calorie version.

3. Consider the Calorie Expenditure
You need to consider the calorie expenditure during your child’s practice and games. If he or she is running long distances, doing intense short sprints, is a major sweater, and does not have a weight problem then sports drinks are probably fine even though not necessary. However, one bottle is usually enough to replenish lost electrolytes, and after that he or she should move on to water.

4. Nutrient Content of Packaged Snacks
Same considerations go for packaged, refined starchy snacks. It is not only the calories in the snacks that matter but the quality of the nutrition in the snack. 100 calorie packs will control calories but your child is still ingesting refined flour, refined sugar, Tran’s fats, and too much sodium.

5. Fruit, Veggies, Whole Grains, and Nuts
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts are loaded with minerals and electrolytes. Try to increase their intake of these magnesium and potassium rich foods during the week, not just on practice or game days.

WARNING: Know that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has just found that one in five teens now has elevated cholesterol levels. Exercise helps keep cholesterol low. Maybe teaching our kids not to eat junk during and after sports is as important as teaching them not to drink and drive. It may save their lives down the road.

Adopting an Older Child

2010-04-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

With all the news about the young child that was adopted and then returned to Russia, parents who have been thinking of adoption might be reconsidering.

Monday morning on WUSA9 News Now, Jolie Perara, the marketing manager for FAMILY Magazine talked about adopting an older child. She talked about how when the child is not an infant, it is very different than adopting an infant and is sometimes a challenge. It is similar to adopting a child with special needs or one that has emotional problems.

Here are some things to think about:

Bonding will take longer.
(Especially if the child looks different than you)
Child will take longer to adjust as well.
You will need more time to devote to the child.
You may have more doctor appointments and need counseling.
Your child may need tutoring and help with school adjustment.
Your routine is going to change dramatically.

If you adopt an older, special needs, or troubled child, many may come with bad habits and emotional baggage. Certainly the bonding time may take longer. It may also take longer if the child looks a lot different than you do or than what you expected. This applies to infants as well. It takes time to get used to these things. You might take one step forward and two steps backward some days. Don’t let the guilt set in. Loving any adopted child is sometimes a challenge. You can still provide for him and nurture him just the same while both of you adjust.

Whether you are considering an older, special needs, or troubled child, consider carefully if your schedule and lifestyle are flexible. Adopting a child who needs extra time, attention, and care will mean a change in your routine. You may have doctor appointments, therapy sessions, counseling sessions, and school conferences on a regular basis. Problems occur unexpectedly causing sudden changes in plans.

Whether you have a specific child in mind, or are waiting for a referral, here are some things to do in advance.
--Find out all you can about the child. What is known about the child? What information is missing?
--Line up your medical, counseling, and educational services. Most communities have preschool programs for children with special needs ages three and four or who are at high risk.
--Line up your own support team. Do you have family members or friends that you can call when you need a break or need help?
--Look for support groups. You may want to join an adoption support group or a support group for children with special needs. Your local social services office or pediatrician should be able to help you find what you need.
--Look for books about adoption at your local library. Find ones both for yourself and for your new child.

Older adopted children often experience a “honeymoon” stage after placement in an adoptive home. This is followed by a testing period, accompanied by feelings of grief and loss for whatever home or family they once had. They may experience periods of depression or rebellion. Often individual therapy is necessary to deal with issues of separation and loss and family therapy may be useful, also.

Although adopting an older child is difficult, adding to your family and enriching the life of your new child is rewarding. Whatever the age and background of your adopted child, love, patience and flexibility are the keys to success.

Happy Parenting,
Brenda

National Enviromential Education Week

2010-04-12T04:31:00.000-07:00

This is National Enviromential Education Week. Going green not only helps the enviroment it also teaches children to understand that they are in charge of their actions. And when kids act responsibilly that has a positive impact in our families and communities.

One of the easiest ways to educate children on enviromential issues is by focusing on water conservation especailly since so much of American water sources are stressed.

This morning, Jolie Perara, Marketing Maganger for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing family-friendly water conservation.

Water Conservation is simple and kid-friendly.

1. Turn the water off when you are brushing you teeth, saving 25 gallons a month.
2. Wash your fruits and vegetables in a pan of water instead of running water from the tap, then reuse the water to water houseplants.
3. Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap to get cold water.
4. Limit the amount of bottled waters you consume because it takes 3 liters of water to produce I liter of bottled water.
5. If your dishwasher is new, cut back on rinsing. Newer models clean more thoroughly than older ones.

Conservation teaches kids to understand that we have a responsibility to each other and that we all are in charge of our own actions.

How do you teach children about protecting our environment? Do you have “Green” activities around your home? Please share your families tips and ideas with us online.

Happy Parenting,
Brenda

Great Family Friendly Entertainment

2010-04-05T14:46:00.000-07:00

Spring is approaching and with that comes Spring Breaks, warmer weather and restless kids. Are you looking for somewhere to take the family? Are you looking for something educational but yet still fun? Are you looking for something that you’ll be entertained at as well? Look no further!

Today Liz McConville, Resource Editor for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing family-friendly events for spring.

Starting this April and running through October both Congressional Plaza and Rockville Town Square are hosting Mommy & Me And Daddies Too. The first event is at Congressional Plaza on Thursday, April 8 and then at Rockville Town Square on Tuesday, April 20. Both are from 10 am-Noon. Join them for fun, free programs for you and your little one including face painting, balloon animals, live entertainment, kids eat FREE and much more! Mommy & Me is brought to you by Federal Realty Investment Trust and the merchants and restaurants at Congressional Plaza and Rockville Town Square. For more information, visit congressionalplaza.com or rockvilletownsquare.com or call 301-998-8178.

Celebrate Spring at the Fairfax Corner Spring Festival! It’s being held Saturday, April 24 from 12 to 3 pm and promises to be a great day for the whole family. Bring the whole family for a day of fun with live entertainment, exciting interactive exhibitor booths, fabulous giveaways, face painters, balloon artists, FREE goodie bags for the first 250 families attending and a chance to win a $500 Fairfax Corner Shopping Spree! Live on the Grand Plaza Stage: at Noon is Mad Science: Up, Up, and Away!, at 1 pm is Reptiles Alive!, and at 2 pm is The Unicycle Lady Show. For more information visit www.FairfaxCorner.com.

Coming Saturday, May 1st to Bethesda Row is Celebrate Mama! It’s being held from 11 am-4 pm. This is a free event for mamas of all ages and stages. The event features giveaways, arts & crafts, raffle prizes and entertainment. Shop the Mama Marketplace for the perfect Mother’s Day present. For more information visit www.celebratemama.com.

Spring into Healthy Eating

2010-03-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today on WUSA9’s MomsLikeMe Moment, FAMILY Magazine’s Nutrition Editor, Judy Caplan presented some great information on healthy eating and what is available right now from local farms. This is great information and ideas that will help us all SPRING into a healthy outdoor season. Here is what Judy has to say about opportunities for healthy eating this spring.
Lighten Up and Spring into Healthy Eating
Spring is a happy time of year; a time of renewal. With renewal comes energy. The sun is higher in the sky and the days are getting longer. Let’s harness this new power and use it to shake off the winter blues. Put away those heavy coats and ease up on the starchy, wintry foods. Now is a great time to lighten up and spring into healthy eating.
Try joining a local produce club. Farms usually have a local drop off point where you can pick up your weekly veggies. Some even carry hormone free dairy and poultry products and grass fed beef.
Cool weather veggies like turnips, parsnips, beets, radish, salsify, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, collards and arugula are now coming into season. These pungent tasting veggies are high in phytochemicals and antioxidants that prevent disease.
Where Can I Find Local Farm Produce?
Here are some local farms that deliver fresh produce and flowers:
• Great Country Farms - 540-554-2073
• Potomac Vegetable Farms - 703-759-2119
• Blue Run Mountain Vegetable Farm – 703-754-4005
• Graceland Farm – 540-439-8171
• Mount Vernon Farm - 540-987-9559
• Virginia Green Grocer – 540-347-4740
• Blue Ridge Center CSA – 540-668-7640
Ready Your Kitchen for Spring
As the days get longer, we often start to crave lighter food. Perhaps we instinctually know that bright leafy greens are now in season. This is also a good time to clean the pantry and toss out food whose expiration dates have passed.

Throw Away Expired Foods
Throwaway foods that are seasonal (sprinkles, leftover frosting, half used bags of nuts) and won’t be fresh next year when you bake those holiday cookies.
Cooking oils go rancid over time so if the bottle of oil in the pantry has been opened and stored for almost six months, throw it out. Buy small bottles of oil (cold pressed) and keep them refrigerated to avoid rancidity. Oxidation (rancidity) causes free radicals, which are not good for the body.
Inspect Your Pots and Pans
Take a look at your pots and pans. If they are looking dull and stained, put on some good music and get scrubbing. Bar Keepers Friend is an amazing cleanser. You’ll be surprised how sexy sparkling pots and pans can be! If you notice flaking on your nonstick pans, throw them out. With all the press of late on the dangers of plastics, it is safer to use stainless steel pans with no coating.

Take inventory of your kitchen tools
• Are your knives sharp?
• Do you have a good grater and micro plane?
• Are there slotted stainless spoons for stir-frying?
• Is the cutting board big enough?
• What is the condition of your dishtowels?
• Are your small appliances working?
• Have you checked to see if your oven thermometer is accurate?
Clean Out the Fridge
Throwaway open bottles and jars that haven’t been used in ages. Clean the bins with hot soapy water. Change that burned out bulb so you can see what is in there. Defrost the freezer and again check dates on products. If foods are older than three months, toss them.

Reconnect with Your Cookbooks
Check out your cookbooks. If you haven’t bought a new one in years, you would be amazed at all the fabulous ones on the market. Put them in the bathroom (!) and by your bed. Looking at cookbooks will ignite your senses and get you ready for all the fresh produce that is about to come your way.

Judy – thanks for the great ideas. They certainly motivated me to get back into healthy cooking in the kitchen and clean out the refrigerator. Thanks!

Do you have some healthy eating tips you would like to share with other parents? Send them along and we will spread the word!

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Despite Budget Cuts, Moms Can Help Kids Succeed

2010-03-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

In the face of budget shortfalls our school systems are either going to cut classroom time or increase the class size. Either way, our children are going to have less instruction. This leaves a huge void in our education system. Our children already spend far less time in the schoolhouse relative to Asian nations. There was an article in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend about this very topic. In the end, this situation is a threat our children’s ability to compete in the global marketplace.

To make the issue even more complex, American children spend a shocking 7.5 hours per day “using entertainment media” according to The Kaiser Family Foundation. That means our children spend about 53 hours a week on the Internet, playing videogames, communicating on cell phones, or watching television. To put this in perspective, children spend 30 hours a week in school but 53 hours a week in the entertainment world.
So given the tension between less classroom time and a strong entertainment industry, there is only one solution and that is Moms like you and me are going to have to get busy, creative, and more involved in our children’s education.

Obviously we need to communicate with our representatives that education is important to us and that if our educational system breaks down the United States will suffer – we already have seen evidence this is happening.

Solution to Improve Education
Voice your concerns to your representatives
Become more involved in your child’s education
Define areas important to you or your child
Math & Science
Music
Performance Arts
Visual Arts
Find resources outside the classroom that can build these areas
May have to find a new school (private or public)

If the school where your children attend has cuts in place that you really can not accept, you may have to look outside your current school for the solution. Maybe you need to move to a different school system, or you may need to enroll your child in a private school. We all know how critical a good education is, you will just have to evaluate your own personal situation and what is best for your child. There are many parents who have placed their children in private schools and made other sacrifices to be able to afford the costs.

Of course, FAMILY Magazine is ready to help moms. We are dedicated to searching out the best and most creative ideas to help your children learn the skills they are going to need in the future.

The best way to stay in the loop is to keep visiting MomsLikeMe.com or the FAMILY Magazine site. And you can fan us on Facebook at FAMILY Magazine of Washington. Our online guru, Jolie Perara will have breaking news and ideas there every day. She also has some math games she is going to be sharing with our fans.

GOAL SETTING

One way moms like you and me can get more involved in our child’s education is to teach children how to set and achieve goals—a very important character trait.

The first step as a parent is to guide your children to make realistic goals—ones that they can successfully achieve. On the other hand, the goal must not be too easy. A challenging goal teaches our children to wrestle with a problem, instilling those core values like tenacity and hard work. So, the goal must be challenging yet achievable.

One word of caution, as moms we must gauge our child’s emotional level. If they are feeling low—an easy, short-term goal will boost their self-esteem.

Some simple guidelines to help our children set goals is to
1. Talk about what they want to achieve
2. Why that goal is important to them
3. Breakdown the task into manageable and achievable
pieces

Do you have some ideas that you think will help keep our kids competitive in the global economy? What are you doing in your household?

Share with us and we will share your ideas with our readers.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Kid Friendly Fun

2010-03-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

There is lots going on in the Washington region right now. So what is out there for families, something the kids will really look forward to attending? This morning on WUSA9 News Now, Jolie Perara the Marketing Manager with FAMILY Magazines shared ideas for more kid and family fun.

Here is what Jolie had to say:
There is a great theatre performance taking place April 16 to the 18th at the Warner Theatre, Storybook LIve.

This is a story by Nickelodeon featuring Dora the Explorer.
But this is not ordinary theatre performance. This show gives kids an adventure where they can leap into Fairytale Land, journey through Fillthingham, hop into Wonderland and jump on the clouds.

Although this is not a typical show, here are a few etiquette tips for taking kids to the theatre.

1. Eat before the show.
2. Arrive on time.
3. Vist the restroom before the show.
4. Laugh when it it funny, applaud when spectacular and stand and applaud at the end if it is great.

Second event if you have time – Gesher Used Book Sale
March 18-21 except Saturday. Prices for books are 50 cents to $2.

Great way to explore new ideas.

Gesher Jewish Day School
4800 Mattie Moore Court
Fairfax, VA 22030

Do you have any suggestions on ideas for great area family fun? Please share them with me!

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Family-friendly events for the month of March.

2010-03-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

Spring is approaching and with that comes Spring Breaks, warmer weather and restless kids. Are you looking for somewhere to take the family? Are you looking for something educational but yet still fun? Are you looking for something that you’ll be entertained at as well? Look no further!

Today Liz McConville, Resource Editor for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox discussing family-friendly events for the month of March.

Imagination Stage is presenting the new musical, Peter & the Wolf based on the Sergei Prokofiev story and music. Peter & the Wolf is currently running through March 21. Recommended for ages 5 and up. It is being performed in the Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Theatre at Imagination Stage in Bethesda. Go to www.imaginationstage.org or call 301-280-1660 for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office at 4908 Auburn Avenue in Bethesda daily from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Tickets are $10-21 and group rates are available.

Big Apple Circus- Bello is Back! In Bello is Back! the playfully elegant Bello, with his gravity-defying hair, trademark tuxedo, white gloves and spats, returns to the one–ring intimacy of the Big Apple Circus after an absence of nine seasons. Bello is sure astound and delight one and all! On the “Welcome Back Bello” committee: their lovable star clown Grandma, the spirited Big Apple Circus Band, and winning new ringmaster Kevin Venardos, joined by spectacular acrobats from Italy, Russian wizards of the trampoline and the flying trapeze, a graceful flight on the aerial silks, fiery steeds and cavorting canines, playful Chinese contortionists, and Picaso Jr., the sensational Spanish juggler! With no seat under the Big Top more than 50 feet from the ring, even if you’re really small you won’t miss a thing! The show runs March 6-March 27 at the Dulles Town Center in Dulles, VA. For more information check out www.bigapplecircus.org.

McLean Storybook Festival is being held on March 13th. Come enjoy entertainment by special guest Barry Louis Polisar, stories, craft projects, books, and book-related materials, refreshments, and more! Children can meet some of their favorite storybook characters in person. For ages 3-8. The cost is $5 per person, free for children age 2 yrs and old. It is from 11:00:am to 12:30:pm. It is being held at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean, VA 22101.

Looking for fun activities to do in March? Visit the FAMILY Magazine web site. Our calendar of events has many great activities. And, this month Liz McConvile will be posting a list of special March celebrations, parades and themed events in our “Web Extra.”

Have a fun March, and Happy Parenting!

Brenda

Raising Olympic Stars – the Elite Child Athlete

2010-02-22T12:52:00.000-08:00

Do you have a future Olympic star living in your household? Of course we are all proud of our children when they work hard and compete in sports, however sometimes there is a child that really does have the potential to be an Olympic star. How can you tell if your child has that potential?

Success in highly competitive sports seems to depend on several key factors: Preexisting talent, a strong internal drive within the aspiring athlete, and a caring and sound social support system.

Musical abilities can also help an athlete in most sports to think better and have a sense of rhythm. For instance skating, or downhill skiing require rhythm.

The IOC (International Olympic Commission) Medical Commission has adopted guidelines on training the Elite Child Athlete.

Focus on learning and skills
Accentuate the fun aspects of competitive sports
Learn to deal with the pressure to be perfect
Have an effective and safe training program
Work on psychological skills –
Motivation
Self-confidence
Emotional control
Have a balanced lifestyle
Nutrition
Adequate sleep
Academic development
Opportunities for socialization

In my research I found that most experts in the field of youth sports reported that winning was a relatively poor motivator for most young people involved in sports. The path to excellent performance lies in motivating them to embrace self-improvement.

When they were asked, winning never ranked high as a reason for most young athletes to participate in competitive sports. Other rewards, from improving skills to gaining recognition to getting exercise, ranked higher. The number one reason seemed to be “to improve my skills.”

Another interesting fact I learned (I saw this as a repeating theme in many studies and books) is that the most successful elite child athletes do not have parents who coach them. The parents step back and let the coach take over the sports part of their life and the parents work on the other parts. This theme is repeated over and over by both sports and child behavior experts.

I guess even though we hear about all the parents who are directly involved in their child’s training, they must be the exception and not the rule.

The bottom line is that entire sports process, especially for the elite child athlete should be pleasurable and fulfilling. Participating in competitive sports is a life experience that should prove invaluable to the young athlete as a developing, maturing person.

Do you have an aspiring Olympian in your household? Let us hear about it! Send pictures. We would love to share them with other parents.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Nutrition for Healthy Gums and Teeth

2010-02-15T15:02:00.001-08:00

Even though visiting the dentist has gotten more user friendly, most kids still don’t look forward to their yearly dental checkups. As essential as these health checks are, what your child eats between visits is the most important part of building healthy teeth and gums.
In addition to brushing and flossing, the vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients in a healthful diet protect teeth from decay and keep gums healthy and tight.
The Main Culprit
We all know that sucrose or sugar is the leading cause of tooth decay, but not the only cause. Did you know that in addition to sugary foods like cookies, candies, and sodas, starchy foods (like bread and cereal) also play a part in tooth decay? When starches mix with an enzyme in the saliva called amylase, the result is an acid bath that breaks down enamel and makes teeth more susceptible to decay. The longer foods linger in the mouth, the acid bath is prolonged and the damage greater. That is why your mom always told you to brush your teeth after eating!
Dried fruit and juices are also problematic. While we usually think of these as healthy foods and beverages, both their high sugar content (think stickiness) and their high acid content make them contributors to tooth decay.
Unlike dried fruit and juices, fresh fruit protects your teeth. Fresh fruit, especially apples, are a good choice. Although sweet and acidic, the increased chewing required when eating fresh fruit (and vegetables) stimulates saliva flow. Saliva flow decreases mouth acidity and washes away food particles. Now you know why apples are called “nature’s toothbrush.” They not only stimulate the gums but also increase saliva flow and reduce the build-up of cavity-causing bacteria.
Gum Disease
More teeth are lost through gum disease than decay. Poor diet, meaning a highly refined diet, alcoholism, and certain medications all contribute to poor gums. Poor hygiene and not flossing can lead to bleeding gums, but lack of Vitamin C can also be a cause. Fresh fruit and vegetables are your best source of Vitamin C.
Munching on hard fibrous foods such as carrots, celery, seeds and nuts, and whole grains all help stimulate the gums.

Healthy Snacks That Don’t Attack
Think fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains, beans and other lean protein, and healthy oils:
• Cut up veggies with hummus or avocado dip
• Cup of tea – Tea is good for your teeth because it contains fluoride. (If you are concerned about the pigments staining your teeth, you can drink it through a straw!)
• Fresh fruit with natural peanut butter
• Cabot fat reduced cheese with whole grain crackers and/or fresh fruit
• Plain yogurt with fresh fruit and nuts.
• Whole grain pretzels dipped in mustard
• Turkey slices wrapped around asparagus or roasted red pepper and avocado slices
• Hormone free turkey or buffalo jerky.

Remember you can also protect your teeth by ending meals with foods that do not promote cavities or may even protect them. Aged cheeses help prevent cavities if consumed at the end of a meal. Chewing sugar free gum stimulates the flow of saliva which decreases acid and flushes out food particles. Rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth after eating are also good strategies to prevent cavities.
A bright smile is usually a good indication of a healthy diet.

Valentine's Day Crafts

2010-02-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

St. Valentine’s Day is a day to give and get Valentines but more importantly it is a day to show the ones around you how much you care about them. This Valentine’s Day involve the kids by having them create and decorate crafts that they can give to those they care about.

Due to the snow and continued news coverage about the snow the segment on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox demonstrating crafts for Valentine’s Day was unable to air however here are those great family friendly crafts.

Why should we have our children make their gifts instead of buy them? I know it keeps them entertained, but does it do anything for them? YOU BET! Kids love it and it really helps them develop.

Helping benefits kids in many ways –
They reflect on how they feel about others
They learn the best gifts aren’t bought

Here are the crafts that Liz demonstrated along with materials and detailed instructions.

Warm Fuzzy Box

What you'll need:
* 1 empty box, any size
* Valentine themed wrapping paper or pink, red or purple construction paper
* Pink construction paper
* White craft glue
* Scissors
* Things to decorate with: Ribbons, Stickers, Glitter, Magazine Clippings, Sequins

How to make it:
1. Wrap the empty box in wrapping paper or construction paper.
2. Tie white ribbon around the box and tie into a bow on the top.
3. Decorate box
4. Fill with little gifts or notes about how special that person is to you.

Tissue Paper Note Cards

What you'll need:
* Various shades of tissue paper (preferably reds, pinks, and purples)
* White paper
* Vinegar
* Paintbrush

How to make it:
1. Have your child begin by cutting or tearing the tissue paper into small squares.
2. Invite her to paint vinegar over the entire sheet of white paper.
3. While the paper is still wet, place the different colored squares onto the white paper.
4. Allow this to dry. When the paper is dry, the tissue paper will fall off, showing your little one how the tissue paper bled onto the white paper.
5. Turn this into a holiday project by cutting the dyed paper into a heart or use this paper to make a holiday or note card.

For this craft and more like it click here: http://crafts.kaboose.com/tissue-paper-note-cards.html

Lollipop Flowers

What you’ll need
* Red and green construction paper or card stock
* Scissors
* Lollipop
* Glue stick

How to make it:
1. From red construction paper, cut out a heart that's just larger than the lollipop candy and glue it to the wrapper.
2. For the leaves, fold the green paper in half and cut out a leaf shape, leaving the two sides attached at the seam.
3. Unfold the double leaf shape, coat the entire inside surface with glue, and fold it back over the lollipop stem, pressing to secure.

For this craft and more like it click here: http://familyfun.go.com/valentines-day/valentines-day-crafts-gifts/all-valentines-day-crafts/lollipop-flowers-664380/

Do you have any crafts you like to do for Valentine’s Day? Do you let your children help with this?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Brenda

National Children’s Dental Health Month

2010-02-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

The month of February is filled with chocolate and candy as people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day. This sweet holiday also brings toothaches and cavities. Ironically, February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and a chance for parents to help their kids brush up on good oral hygiene.

Today during the Monday morning WUSA9 DC Moms Like Me segment, Jessica Doyle shared some ideas for helping your family develop and maintain proper dental hygiene.

February is the perfect time for parents to help their kids brush up on good oral hygiene.

In 1941 Children’s Dental Health Month started as a weeklong event in Akron, Ohio. It is now a nationwide program.

And, something very important for parents to sit up and take note is that a recent survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that children between the ages of 2 and 5 are more likely to have tooth decay now than in the past. Good care of a child’s teeth from primary teeth to adult teeth is very important.

It is important to note that poor oral hygiene is linked serious common diseases. Teeth are the only non-shedding surface in the body, which suggests that the teeth have the highest bacterial levels in the entire body.

A recent clinical study shows a direct link between poor oral hygiene and serious common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, bacterial pneumonia, and osteoporosis.

YOU CAN ALSO FIND SEVERAL ARTICLES AND SOME GREAT RESOUCES ON OUR WEB SITE, WWW.WASHINGTONFAMILY.COM.

Why are baby teeth important? Don’t children just loose them?

Baby Teeth are important because:
---They help children chew food
---They help children speak and develop speech correctly
---They guide permanent teeth into place
Starting to teach good oral health care when children are very young is also good because it becomes a life long habit for them.

--Tips for Healthy Teeth –

Brush and floss everyday.
Yes, Children should brush at least twice a day to remove the plaque that can lead to cavities. Flossing daily removes food debris that a toothbrush cannot reach. Even children as young as 3 or 4 months should begin having their teeth brushed regularly.

Visit the dentist regularly.
You and your children should visit the dentist every six months for regular check ups and cleanings. Fluoride treatments twice a year will help prevent tooth decay.

Wear a mouth guard while playing sports.
Mouth guards greatly reduce the chance of injury to the mouth and teeth. Athletes are 60% more likely to have an injury of the mouth if they are not wearing a mouth guard. 80% of injuries involve the front teeth and soft tissues such as the tongue.

Choose snacks wisely and eat nutritiously.
Sugars from sweet drinks or food can quickly hurt young teeth if not removed. And, certainly letting a baby nurse on a bottle overnight is definitely not a good idea as overnight the milk or juice will quickly rot those baby teeth.
FOODS HIGH IN CALCIUM ARE GOOD FOR TEETH – GOT MILK?

Replace your toothbrush regularly.
You should replace your toothbrush every 3 to 4 months or after a cold or illness to prevent re-infection. You should use a soft toothbrush so you won’t wear off the enamel of your teeth.

LET YOUR CHILD BRUSH WHILE YOU BRUSH. They love to mimic their parents. Then at the end you can make sure they did a good job. Make it fun. If a child can brush their teeth as long as it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice, that is long enough.

These tips might seem easy to parents but as moms know getting children interested in dental health can be challenging.

Here are some cute ideas from Amanda Ayers with the Marine Corp. Healthy Kids Fun Run to make oral health care more fun and exciting for children:

-----Use the old toothbrush for a craft idea.
Try letting children use their old toothbrush to paint pictures instead of a paintbrush. Draw a picture of teeth and use white paint and an old toothbrush to “clean” the teeth.

----Apples are nature’s toothbrush.
Try Apple Smiles snacks to teach children the importance of eating nutritiously. Cut apples into wedges to use as lips. Smear peanut butter, which makes for great edible “glue”, on one side of the two wedges. Stick marshmallows, or the “teeth”, on the peanut butter on one of the apple wedges and top with the other apple wedge peanut butter side down for a delicious, healthy smile!

When should you start thinking about braces for your child?

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that all children have an orthodontic screening no later than age 7. An orthodontist can spot subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present.

If parents need more help, we have several articles and a list of pediatric dentists on our web site www.WashingtonFAMILY.com

Happy Parenting,
Brenda

Winter Fun Ideas

2010-01-25T07:54:00.000-08:00

If cold, wet winter days are giving you cabin fever, you might be asking yourself, “What can I do with the kids today?”

Today durning the Monday morning WUSA9 DC Moms Like Me segment, Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor and Toy Expert for Washington FAMILY Magazine, shared some ideas for places to go and things to do with your kids this winter.

For more great Winter Fun Ideas, be sure to visit www.washingtonfamily.com. January’s issue of Washington FAMILY Magazine features Amy’s article 30 Days of Winter Fun.

Here are a few of Amy’s favorites.

1. Every Birdie Counts
From Feb 12-15, 2010, participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. This nationwide event provides a “real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent and in Hawaii.” Help hunt for blue jays, robins and chickadees. Even if you don’t know a Pine Siskin from a Savannah Sparrow, the easy to use bird guides and instructions make it an event for the whole family.
www.birdsource.org/gbbc

2. Cheer for the Home Team
With more than 50 colleges and universities in the DC area, there are lots of teams to root for. Check out a Georgetown Women’s basketball game, diving at George Mason, a George Washington swim meet or an indoor track meet at University of Maryland. Great sports at a more reasonable cost.

3. And Now for Our Feature Presentation
Pop the popcorn, dim the lights and curl up with the kids for a Classic Movie Fest. Whether you laugh out loud with the Little Rascals, Three Stooges or Tom and Jerry or revive the Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz or Bringing Up Baby, classic movies make a perfect winter escape.

4. Build the Future, Celebrate the Past
At the National Building Museum, explore original drawings, antique building toys, innovative buildings and changing exhibits. Get involved in hands-on activities in the Building Zone, with Family Tool Kits, at weekend Discovery Carts and at events like Engineering Family Day.
www.nbm.org

5. Plan a Day Off
Put a meal in the crock pot, stock up on books and movies from the library, set out craft items, and set aside one day just to relax.

What great ideas do you have for Winter Fun here in the DC Metro area or at home?

Happy Parenting,
Brenda

Getting the most out of Summer Camp Fair

2010-01-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

This morning on WUSA 9 News Now I talked with Peggy Fox about getting most out of an attending a CAMP FAIR.

It may seem too early to start thinking about summer since there is still snow on the ground in some places. However the perfect time to think about summer enrichment opportunities for you child is right now. And, the upcoming weekend is the beginning of Camp Fair Season with 2 big camp fairs in our area.

FAMILY Magazine is a sponsor of these Camp Fairs and the magazine is a great resource for camps. If there is one thing our magazine has, it is great resources for summer activities of ALL KINDS. We also have lots of articles from “Why you should send your child to summer camp” and all the way to “How to choose a camp.” If you are at all considering sending your child to a camp this year, you HAVE TO check out our web site.

BE SURE TO COME TO ONE OF THE CAMP FAIRS THIS WEEKEND. You can find a complete list of the fairs in the DC area on our web site, www.washingtonFAMILY.com

Here are some tips on how to get the most out of attending a camp fair:

Parents should think about these questions before the CAMP FAIR—

• Day Camp vs. Overnight Camp -- How long is my child comfortable being away from home or does my child just want a day camp?
If your child has never spent a night away from you, a 3-week camp might be a bit much for them to adjust to. You might want to start them in a day camp that has a one or two night overnight experience.

• How far away does my child want to go for camp?
Do you want your to have to drive 12 hours to get to the camp or put your child on an airplane to go to camp? Think about this ahead of time so you don’t find yourself in an uncomfortable situation this summer.

• What age group is my child comfortable with?
If your child is in the youngest age group of a camp, are you and your child comfortable with this?

• What type of program interests my child (academic, sports, adventure, arts)?
Sports interest camps are great ways to engage your child. Most of the programs also offer the traditional swimming and camping experience as well.

• Does my child want a co-ed or same sex camp experience?
This is probably more important to the parents than the child and it is important to think about.

• How much do I have in my budget for a camp?
There will also be other experiences related to camp. Some camps require special equipment and even special clothing. Keep all of this in mind when you are selecting a camp.

Questions to ask the camp representative (or director) at the CAMP FAIR:

When you go to a camp fair you can expect representatives of several camps there to talk with you about their camp. Often this might even be the camp director. They will be there to talk you as long as you want so that you can feel really comfortable with their camp.

• What is the camp’s mission and philosophy?
This will tell you what they feel is important and where their emphasis will be.

• What is the staff to camper ratio?
You want as many staff as possible to make sure your child is properly supervised.

• What is the background of the director and key staff?
You should make sure the director and all the key staff has appropriate credentials. Being a member of the American Camping Association is important for overnight camps.

•How is the staff trained, what are their credentials, and how many are former campers?
If you are sending your child to a specialty camp, you want to make sure they are qualified and have the experience to teach your child. You also want to make sure they have experience with children. Staff members that were also campers are the best recommendations.

• How many campers return for multiple summers?
Camps that have a lot of returning campers from previous years are great. This shows that the parents and the kids were happy with their experience.

• Can you provide the names of former campers who are willing to talk with us that live in our area?
Recommendations from parents in your own area are the very best. You can ask them lots of questions about the camp and find out what their child liked or did not like.

• What kind of medical treatment/facility does your program have access to?
Of course you want good medical care if your child becomes ill or has an accident.

For more information about camps and camp tips, visit the FAMILY Magazine web site. We have many articles and a great deal of information about camps.

www.WashingtonFAMILY.com

Do you have a favorite camp or camp memory? I would love to hear about it.

Happy Parenting,
Brenda

Nutrition Resolutions and continuing a Weight Loss Program

2010-01-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

For most people the number one New Year's resolution is weight loss. This morning on WUSA9 News Now, Judy Caplan, the nutrition editor for FAMILY Magazine talked about nutrition resolutions and how to continue a weight loss program. Judy discussed how we can stick to our goals so that by the end of the month we have not returned to our old habits. REALLY????
This is good stuff!

Here is what Judy had to say:
Resolutions – Are They Still Happening?
We all start out gung-ho about what we want to accomplish in the New Year. Dietary resolutions are usually numero uno on everyone’s list. How can we keep our good intentions alive? How can we make this year different so that next December, at year’s end, we are kicking up our heels and celebrating our successes?

Researchers have studied individuals who are successful at weight loss. Individuals who have lost thirty pounds or more and kept the weight off for at least five years have a few things in common. You might be surprised to see what makes them so successful. Let’s take a look at three of their most important tools:

Tool One: Keep a Food Diary
Awareness is the number one key to success when trying to lose weight. If you are aware of what you are doing, then you are paying attention. Paying attention means you are following what you set out to accomplish.

Most people fail to reach their goals when they start to stray from their plan. Staying on the plan or getting back to the plan after a day, week, or month of straying is the key to success. The act of writing down your food intake actually makes you stay on your plan. It keeps you honest, focused, and motivated. It allows you to see results and it builds on habits that will help you keep the weight off.

I recommend keeping a food diary until six months after you have achieved your weight goal. You have to build a system that keeps you accountable to yourself. Whether you keep your record in a notebook, a Blackberry, or on scraps of paper, the act of being accountable is HUGE.

Tool Two: Eat Breakfast
Many of us wake up in the morning; look in the mirror and say, “I will not eat today. I am sick of being fat.” Those good intentions are usually gone by mid morning as the first donut lands in the break room. Then it is off to the races.

Eating breakfast not only sets your blood sugar pattern for the day, but also helps prevent overeating after dinner when you start to crave sweets. Breakfast also gives you more energy throughout the day so at day’s end you will be ready to hit the gym. Here are some examples of easy to grab, healthy breakfasts:
• Egg white omelet with fresh spinach, topped with salsa and sliced avocado
• Vitalicious Muffin Top (frozen foods Giant, Whole Foods)
• Uncle Sam’s Cereal (3/4 cup) (Whole Foods, Giant)
• Two slices whole wheat bread spread with almond butter and Polaner All Fruit
• Fage 2% Fruit Yogurt + 1 T. ground flaxseed

Eating more food earlier in the day fills you up, usually with healthy food (unlike food you eat after dinner) and avoids drops in blood sugar that cause irritability and sweet cravings and lead to trips to the vending machines to seek out junk. The desire to visit the snack shop or machines means your blood sugar is dropping and should be a signal that it is time to eat a healthy snack. Plus when you start off the day doing something good to your body, your body responds with better brain function so you are more likely to continue treating yourself well…and achieving your goals. Here are some healthy snacks:
• 12 raw almonds, cashews or walnuts
• 1 T. dried cherries
Or
• 1/3 cup hummus with 8 whole wheat stick pretzels
Or
• Cut up veggies (peppers, fennel, carrots)
• 2 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
Or
• Sliced avocado/marinated artichoke hearts/sliced red pepper
• 3 oz. grilled chicken breast
Or
• Fresh fruit/apple/pear
• 1 T. natural peanut butter
Or
• 1 bag free range dried buffalo or turkey jerky
• Bottle of bubbly water

Tool Three: Exercise
Just remember, pounds lost will never stay off if you don’t exercise regularly, approximately one hour a day. The goal is to not to have to revisit the weight loss again. Once the weight is gone, exercise is the key to keeping it off forever.

Exercise builds muscle and muscle increases metabolism so you burn more calories at rest. Therefore, once you start exercising, you will actually be burning more calories. That is a good thing if you spend most of your day at a desk, sitting on you rear end. Because exercise burns calories, it allows you some leeway in your dietary choices. No one eats perfectly all the time and thankfully exercise offers a buffer doing those stressful moments when you are traveling or having crunch times at work. You may not lose weight when life is crazed, but it will help prevent any further weight gain. Then once things calm down, you get back on target and continue the weight loss program, in earnest, all the while not stopping your exercise routine.

Exercise also takes on a life of its own. Once you start, something about the act of exercising is replenishing and you keep on doing it. The endorphins exercise produce promote feelings of well-being and these endorphins help reduce sadness, depression, and many other feelings that can derail us in our weight loss attempts.

So staying on top of your resolutions is really as easy as one, two, and three.

Do you have any suggestions on how someone can get and then stay motivated while establishing a weight loss program? Please share them with me!

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Winter Eco-friendly Craft to do with your Kids

2010-01-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

Today on WUSA 9 our Events Coordinator, Anna Snead demonstrated a craft for creating a homemade birdfeeder. It’s a great way to teach your kids the importance of being eco-friendly. This particular craft is very beneficial to birds during the winter months and it involves recycled goods.

Anna selected this activity because it’s earth-friendly, creative, and fun. Below are two variations of the craft suited for different age groups. Let us know if you try it and what you think.

Activity: BIRD FEEDER HOUSE

Empty quart sized cardboard milk carton, wash out and dry well
Scissors
String or cord
Hole punch or pencil
Bird seed
Directions
1. Cut a circle-shape hole in the bird feeder, large enough so that a bird can sit and eat food.
2. Use the hole punch to put a hole at the top of the milk carton. Tie a few feet of string through the hole.
3. Fill bottom of carton with bird seed until it reaches the opening.
4. Hang the carton on a high tree branch.
5. Refill as necessary.

One easier variation for younger children only requires four items: a pinecone, peanut butter, birdseed and a string.

BIRD FEEDER PINECONE
pinecone
peanut butter
birdseed
string.

Take your pinecone and smear peanut butter all over it. Then roll your pinecone in birdseed. And last but not least, tie a string around your pinecone and hang it in your backyard. Make sure to keep some binoculars near your backyard window so your kids can keep a lookout for all the different birds.

Have you taught your kids about being eco-friendly? If so what activities or lessons have you shared with them?

Happy Parenting,

Brenda

Creating a Family Resolutions Book

2009-12-28T07:05:00.000-08:00

Today on WUSA 9 our Events Coordinator, Anna Snead demonstrated a craft for creating a Family Resolution Book. Most people think that resolutions are only for adults but really it’s a motivational and skill building tool for everyone especially kids. It can improve your child’s self esteem, build family communication as well as teach goal setting. I am a big fan of goal setting and how that can help children throughout their lives.

Anna selected this activity and you should consider starting it in your family. If you do, let us know how it works for you. I think it would be a lot of fun. I wish my kids weren’t all grown. Maybe I will do it with my grandkids?

Activity: Family Resolution Book

You will need:
-A photo album or scrapbook
(you could also use heavy paper as the cover pages)
-Photo of each family member
(if your child wants to draw each member of the family, that might also be good)
-Lined flash card or ruler
(use these if you choose to draw your own lines directly on paper)
-Pen/marker
-Decorative supplies (optional) – stickers, glitter, etc

Instructions:
1. Take or get a picture or headshot of each family member. Or you can let your children draw each person.
2. Glue each one on a separate page in your book.
3. Glue one flashcard onto each page or draw three lines under each photo.
4. Each family member can write down 3 resolutions (more or less optional) on their designated page that they will try to keep throughout the upcoming year.
Examples: Finish my homework before dinner. Clean my room at least once a week. Cook dinner at least 4 times a week for the family (mom or older children). Exercise 3 times a week. Raise my grades one point each semester. Help dad with the yard work weekly. Wash the dog every week. Have a positive attitude.
5. Decorate each page as desired.
6. Discuss the resolutions as a family. Make a list of ways each person can support the others at the back of the book. If, at first, certain family members struggle to find resolutions sit down before starting this activity and brainstorm together in a constructive (and friendly!) discussion.

**Over the next year, each month try to take out the book and see how each person is doing with their resolutions.

Anna had another idea for the book that I thought was very creative. She suggested video taping the family telling their resolutions. Then video tape the discussions through out the year. This would be a great video record of your children and you could post it on YouTube!

Here are some benefits Anna listed for this activity. I can think of more.
-Family Bonding and communication
-Goal setting
-Learning how to be more supportive of each family member
-Self Improvement

Does your family have any traditions similar to this? Do they work?

Let us know what your family does for New Year’s resolutions.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Fun Holiday Craft Becomes Traditon

2009-12-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

The holidays mean family gatherings and big meals. Why not include the kids in the table decorations this year with a variety of fun and festive crafts? It will keep them busy and you’ll have decorations that you can treasure for years to come.

Today Liz McConville, Resource Editor for FAMILY Magazine was on WUSA9 News Now with Peggy Fox demonstrating crafts for table decorations

Why should we involve our children in the preparation of the holiday meal or decorations? I know it helps with the work, but does it do anything for them? YOU BET! Kids love it and it really helps them develop.

Helping benefits kids in many ways –
Raising self-esteem & learning life skills
Develop a sense of tradition (being part of a group)

Here are the crafts that Liz demonstrated along with materials and detailed instructions.

Candy Cane Napkin Rings

Materials:
• 1 sheet of construction paper
• Red glitter glue
• White glitter glue
• White craft glue
• Paintbrush
• Scissors or cutting board
• Tape

What to do:
1. Lay down the construction paper lengthwise
2. Starting at the bottom of the far left corner draw a line of red glitter glue from the bottom to the top of the paper. Skip about one inch and repeat. Continue all the way across the paper.
3. Repeat step 2 with the white glitter glue, drawing the white lines in between the red lines. Your line won’t be touching.
4. Using a paintbrush gently spread out the first line of red glitter glue, careful not to touch the white. Repeat for each red line.
5. Clean out the paintbrush and repeat step 4 for the white glitter glue. All your line should be touching, or at least very close to each other.
6. Allow the sheet to dry completely. This can take several hours.
7. Once dry, fold in half like a greeting card and gently crease. Use scissors to cut along the crease.
8. Hold one of the pieces so that the strips are going horizontally. Cutting from the bottom upward, cut in half and then in half again to create four strips. Repeat this for the other half-sheet. This will result in a total of 8 strips.
9. Turn strips over so that the glitter side is facing down. Carefully fold along the long edge, both sides, to create a more finished look. Glue the folded sides to the back. Repeat for all strips.
10. Roll each strip into a circle; the ends should overlap by about an inch. Secure the overlap with a piece of clear tape.
11. Insert napkins.

For more craft ideas like this one check out: http://crafts.kaboose.com/candy-cane-napkin-rings.html.

Angel Place Cards

Materials:
• Paper Cups
• Napkins
• Lollipops
• Chenille Stems
• Paint, optional

What to do:
1. Fold a napkin back and forth as you do when you are making a fan.
2. Take a paper cup (painting the cup in optional) and turn it upside down
3. Place the napkin on the top (bottom) of the paper cup and with the stick end of the lollipop push the stick through the layers of the napkin and through the cup.
4. Make a halo out of a chenille stem and attach it around the angel’s head or push the straight section of the halo through the same hole made for the stick of the lollipop.
5. The name can either be painted on the cup or a round card with the name can be glued to the halo.

For this craft and more crafts like it check out http://crafts.kaboose.com/angel-place-cards.html.

Silverware Stocking

Materials:
• Stocking template
• Scissors
• Felt
• Patterned fabric
• Hot glue or fabric glue
• Rickrack
• Beads
• Beading cord

What To Do:
1. Use the template to cut two stocking shapes from the felt, then cut the cuff and toe shapes from the patterned fabric. The cuff is a long rectangle with the two long edges folded under and ironed for a clean look.
2. Glue the two stocking shapes together at the edges, leaving the top of the stocking open. Fold a 6-inch length of rickrack in half and glue the ends just inside the stocking’s top. Glue the cuff and toe in place.
3. String beads onto the cord. When the string of beads is long enough to form your letter, knot both ends. Draw your letter onto the stocking with glue, and then press the string of beads onto it.

For this craft and more crafts like it check out http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-gifts-cards-decorations/christmas-decorations/christmas-table-toppers/silverware-stocking-800820/.

Do you have any crafts you like to do for table decorations? Do you let your children help with this? We do name plates at our house and the little kids are in charge. It is a hoot. Maybe this year we will use one of Liz’s ideas. They look adorable!

Happy Holidays!

Brenda

Award Winning and Educational Toys and Games

2009-12-14T06:15:00.000-08:00

With the holidays just around the corner, you’ve probably started making your shopping lists.

Today, during the WUSA9 MomsLikeMe.com segment, Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor and Toy Expert for Washington FAMILY Magazine, shared a few great ideas for this holiday season.

Here are a few standouts from Amy’s article on Award Winning and Educational Toys and Games in this month’s Washington FAMILY magazine.

Go Go Sports Girls from Dream Big Toy Company are one of my favorites for all ages. These sports themed dolls give a positive message about healthy bodies along with being absolutely adorable.

Cornerstone made by Good Company Games, has become one of my family’s favorite games and the most requested. It is kind of a cross between Jenga and Blokus, combining strategy and adrenaline as you build the towers and outsmart your opponents.

If you are looking to get kids and adults up and moving, Djubi is perfect and brings a great new twist to the game of catch. You use the hook to launch the balls and the net to catch them.

Q-BA-Maze is as much fun to create as it is to play with. You join the pieces to make a marble run. It is almost like a kinetic art sculpture and is so fun whether you follow the patterns or create your own masterpiece.

Funny Business from Gamewright is an absolutely hilarious game of mixed up mergers that the whole family can play. It is all about having fun and competition takes a backseat.

Sprig Discover Rig from Sprig Toys is a kid-powered eco-friendly truck that is made from recycled wood and reclaimed plastic and is so appealing to kids for imagination adventures.

The cute Muddy Pigs from Munchkin are perfect for a tub time. With a little warm water their muddy spots magically wash off.

Lastly, Chickyboom by BlueOrange appeals to all ages. There’s more science and math than you’d expect and it really draws in kids and adults alike.

Amy’s article, “Award Winning and Educational Toys and Games,” is filled with lots of wonderful holiday ideas and is in the December issue of Washington FAMILY Magazine. Pick one up or view it online at www.washingtonFAMILY.com

Many of the featured toys have won numerous national and international awards, meaning they were a hit with kids, parents, testers and industry experts. Groups like the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Dr. Toy, Parentâ€™s Choice and AblePlay give awards to toys and games that meet criteria for standing out among their peers. Each one is tested for quality, safety, playability, value and most of all FUN!

To learn more about the Toy Awards; visit the FAMILY Magazine web extras on our homepage.

What great ideas do you have for gift giving this holiday season?

Training to Eat for the Holidays

2009-12-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

The holidays are fast approaching. This wonderful time of year is filled with good fellowship, food, and fun….and lots of calories and overindulgence often leading to weight gain and weight loss resolutions. How can we make this year different?
After this segment be sure to log on to DCMomsLikeMe.com. FAMILY Magazine publisher, Brenda Hyde, will be online to discuss this topic inside the Washington FAMILY Magazine Group.
Today, Judy Caplan, Registered Dietitian and author of the children’s book Gobey Gets Full – Good Nutrition in a Nutshell (www.gobefull.com), shared tips on “Training to Eat for the Holiday” during the Moms Like Me segment on WUSA9.
Judy suggests:
If you put some simple practices into play now, you can avoid that beginning of the year regret. She calls this “Training to Eat for the Holidays.”
Tip One: Make awareness part of the holiday spirit. Ask yourself, “Where do I want my weight to be to on January 2nd?” Jot the answer down on a piece of paper and post it where you can see it every day. For example: “I want to weigh 135 on January 2nd.” Now don’t lose sight of that goal.
Tip Two: Set into motion actions that will lead to achieving your goal. For instance, continue your exercise program. If you don’t have one, now is the time to start. Don’t wait until the first of the year to begin. Exercise is a great calorie burner. Exercise also increases endorphins which promote a sense of well being, something you will need lots of at this stressful time of year.
Tip Three: Set a carbohydrate limit for the day. Allow yourself a daily total of four to six carbohydrate servings. Since there will be sweets and alcohol everywhere, each time you eat a cookie or have a drink over the holidays, you have to subtract some other carbohydrate from your diet that day, so plan ahead. Here are some other examples of one carbohydrate serving:
One slice of whole wheat bread
½ of a hamburger bun
8 stick pretzels
3 Hershey kisses
¼ of a medium order of French fries

Keep a food log. This helps you know how many carbs you have eaten and how many you have left. One strategy is to limit carbs during the week and fill up on lots of salads and fresh veggies, limited amounts of whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. Use two servings of fruit each day to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Here is a sample menu:
Breakfast: Egg white omelet with spinach and low fat cheese, topped with salsa and sliced avocado
Or
¾ cup oatmeal or whole grain cereal with sliced fruit and skim milk plus one teaspoon ground flaxseed
Or
2 slices (40 calories each) whole grain bread with 1T. natural peanut butter and fruit spread
*Coffee or skinny latte

Lunch: Large salad with lean protein – grilled chicken, low fat cheese, shrimp, salmon or lean beef. Add sliced avocado or toasted nuts.
Vinaigrette dressing (preferable made with olive oil)
Or
If you did not have carbs at breakfast (oatmeal, cereal, toast) sandwich on whole wheat bread with nitrite free turkey with olive oil mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle (if non meat, eater make with low fat cheese)
Or
Fresh cut up veggies with 1/3 cup hummus plus 5 Triscuits or 20 Wheat Thins

Dinner: Fresh salad with vinaigrette, lean protein of your choice, and steamed or roasted veggies (non starchy)

Snacks: Use your two servings of fruit for snacks. Add 12 raw almonds with each fruit serving
*Coffee is a calorie free food but can lead to hunger pangs, so limit intake.

Tip Four: Have a plan before you attend a party because once you get there good intentions can quickly fly out the window. Alcohol, besides adding calories, diminishes your ability to stay focused on your goals. Set a number of drinks for the night and stick to it.

You never want to go to a party hungry. Telling yourself you won’t eat all day so it is okay to indulge at the party is a formula for disaster. At the party avoid fried food, any appetizer that sits on bread, creamy dips, and limit sweets and alcohol. That leaves veggies and protein. Save the carbs for your set amount of alcohol or a bite or two of something yummy.

For more articles and resources about how “Training to Eat for the Holiday,” visit the Washington FAMILY Magazine

American Girl Craft for Merriment in Georgetown

2009-11-30T05:38:00.001-08:00

Today on WUSA 9 we demonstrated a craft that we will be doing at the
Merriment in Georgetown on December 6.

If you don’t know about Merriment in Georgetown, you should check it out.
It is going to be a great event with a special book signing with Valerie
Tripp, author of the American Girl books. Here is a link to more
information.
http://www.merrimentingeorgetown.com/

The American Girl Felicity Merriman, described as the colonial girl living
in Williamsburg, VA, was the inspiration for FAMILY Magazine's craft we
will be doing where we will be making silhouettes.

A silhouette or a shadow picture was very popular during the 18th Century.
It was the only method of capturing someone's image before cameras were
invented other than an expensive self-portrait.

This craft would be great for kids to do for grandparents. It is very
personal and a great keepsake.

INSTRUCTIONS

Materials Needed:
-Black construction paper
-White regular or thick paper
-Scissors
-Glue
-Tape
-Flashlight or lamp
-White chalk or white colored pencil
-Ribbon
-Glitter
-Doilies (optional)
-Buttons (optional)

1. To make a silhouette, sit the subject 12-18" in front of a wall, facing
parallel to it.

2. Shine a bright light on them, so their shadow falls on the wall. You
may need to adjust the light until you get their shadow as sharp and
detailed as possible.

3. Tape a black piece of construction paper on the wall where the shadow
is falling. You should see it clearly on the paper. 4. Now, carefully
trace the outline of the shadow using your white chalk or colored pencil
including everything even their eyelashes. The subject must sit very
still for it to work.

5. Once you've completed the tracing take the black piece of paper and cut
out the picture you made along the white lines. Do this CAREFULLY!

6. Paste your silhouette onto the white piece of paper.

7. To finish off your project make a fun ribbon frame cutting a strip for
each side of the paper and glue it on. Doilies can be used in place or
along with the ribbon to give the picture more of a winter holiday feel.
Decorate your frame with buttons, glitter, or anything else you'd like.
Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite American Girl Doll in your house? We would love to
hear from you.

Happy Parenting -- Brenda

Thanksgiving Traditions

2009-11-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving coming this Thursday, there’s lots to do. This morning, on WUSA9 News, reporter Peggy Fox and Liz McConville, the Resource Editor for FAMILY Magazine talked about some really fun crafts you can do with your kids for Thanksgiving.

In our family, we love traditions. A couple of years ago my grandkids made name place cards for our holiday table and then assigned where each person would sit. We use these cards every single year (Christmas and Thanksgiving) just adding the new people when there are new ones at our holiday table. The kids get the place cards out and talk about when they made them. They also talk about how much better they can write now! But it is fun and really gives me a warm feeling to hear the conversation when they are arranging the table and assigning seats. It is a hoot!

Some of Liz’s decorations are really cute and such good ideas I think we will incorporate them this year.

Finger Stamp Place Cards
Materials
• Card stock
• Nontoxic stamp pads in brown, red, orange, and yellow
• Glue
• Googly eyes
• Paint markers

Instructions
1. For each bird, fold a piece of card stock as shown (ours were roughly 3 by 4 inches). Set out nontoxic stamp pads in brown, red, orange, and yellow. Using your thumb or index finger, stamp rings of yellow, orange, and red, and a brown turkey body.
2. Glue googly eyes in place, then use paint markers to draw on a beak, snood, and feet and to write a guest's name below the bird.

For more crafts like this one, check out: http://familyfun.go.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-craft-decorations/thanksgiving-table-nameplates/finger-stamp-place-cards-673438/

Indian Corn Napkin Rings
By: Amanda Formaro

What you'll need:
• Green construction paper
• Scissors
• Tissue paper: yellow, orange and burgundy
• White craft glue
• Pencil with an eraser

How to make it:
1. Cut construction paper vertically in strips about 1.5” wide. Each strip will yield two napkin holders.
2. Cut each strip in half to get 2 napkin holders.
3. Cut tissue paper into 1” squares.
4. Cover a 1” section of the construction paper strip with white craft glue.
5. Twist a square of yellow tissue paper around the pencil eraser and push down onto the glue. Remove pencil, leaving the tissue paper on the construction paper.
6. Repeat step number 5 with tissue paper, alternating orange and burgundy for every 2-3 yellow.
7. Cover entire strip of construction paper, leaving only ½” at the end without tissue paper.
8. Bend into a “ring” and glue together.
9. Let dry completely then carefully insert a napkin.

For more crafts like this one, check out: http://crafts.kaboose.com/indian-corn-napkin-rings.html

Why not decorate the table with these festive crafts that the whole family will enjoy making as well as using in the future?

From all of us here at FAMILY Magazine we wish you a happy and joyous Thanksgiving.

Brenda

Gifts to Go

2009-11-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

With the holidays just around the corner, you’ve probably started making your shopping lists.

Today, Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor of Washington FAMILY Magazine, shared a few great ideas for this holiday season on the Moms Like Me segment on WUSA9.

Here are her choices for Gifts to Go,” items that are lightweight and inexpensive, making them perfect to mail, give in gift exchanges or use while your family is traveling. You can find many more toy ideas in the current issue of FAMILY Magazine. Go to our web site for a list of locations where you can pick up the magazine.

If you are looking for a stuffed toy, here are two great choices.

Normally you wouldn’t think of plastic water bottles as cuddly, but Fuzz That Wuzz stuffed animals from Mary Meyer Corporation are actually made from recycled plastic bottles. Swingzzz Monkey has more than 20 different Fuzz That Wuzz friends, including a moose, an elephant, a bear and a snowman.

Lubies, made by Rocket USA, are a wonderful combination of a soft, stuffed ball and a snuggly friend. So you can combine a little toss and catch with a sleepy time pal. There are over 20 Lubies available, including a flamingo, a panda, a shark and even a Thanksgiving turkey.

Here are three great things to keep kids busy while you are traveling.

YamSlam from Blue Orange Games is a fun, fast-paced game that combines a little Yatzee-type action with intriguing poker chip scoring for a great mix of luck and strategy. Best of all, the dice roll quietly in the game case and everything stores neatly, making it a perfect on-the-go game.

Gallison Mudpuppy makes wonderful magnetic figures for keeping kids entertained. Each one has several backgrounds and lots of outfits for imaginary play, all of which store in a tin box. Depending on your child’s interest, Mudpuppy makes sets from monsters and robots to fairies and mermaids.

Adams Cube by ThinkFun is a 6-in-one brain teaser puzzle cube. Best of all, the puzzle pieces store inside the cube, making it perfectly portable. It’s great for kids who love a challenge.

And if you need to wiggle, the JellyFlyer, by Noodlehead Fun can be tucked in a pocket, purse or backpack and pulled out wherever there room to play frisbee. Because it is made of soft silicone, it can be used indoors and it won’t hurt little fingers. Amy’s family loves things like this for long car trips. They pull them out at the rest stops and get everybody moving to shake out the wiggles.

For more great ideas, you can find Amy’s article “Gifts to Go” on the Washington FAMILY Magazine web site, www.washingtonFAMILY.com

What suggestions to you have for some holiday “Gifts to Go?”

Nutrition and School Performance

2009-11-09T03:12:00.000-08:00

As parents one of our major concerns is how well our children perform in school. Our worries often lead us to consult therapists, tutors, and other specialists. Good nutrition is another important, powerful tool to help our kids reach their potential. Studies show that certain types of fats in the diet might actually improve brain function.

Today, Judy Caplan, Registered Dietitian and author of the children’s book Gobey Gets Full – Good Nutrition in a Nutshell (www.gobefull.com) and Nutrition Editor for FAMILY Magazine, shared tips on Nutrition and School Performance during the FAMILY Magazine and Moms Like Me segment at 9AM on WUSA9 News Now.
Judy suggests:
Take a look at your child’s overall food preferences and assess the quality of fats in his/her diet. Some studies show that increasing healthy Omega 3 and monounsaturated fats in your child’s diet is good for brain function.
Why do we want to feed kids more fat?
Fats are important for brain function and hormone development, but not any type of fat. It needs to be healthy fat from Omega-3-fatty acids and monounsaturated fat. The problem is many children get too much of the wrong fats called trans or hydrogenated fats. Some researchers think this imbalance might play a role in decreased brain function.
What foods contain these healthy fats?
Monounsaturated fats or MUFA’S are found in olive oil, olives, sesame seeds, avocado and nuts like almonds, pistachios, and peanuts. Salmon, tuna, and sardines are high in Omega-3-fatty acids. Ground flaxseed is also high in Omega 3’s.
What is a hydrogenated fat and why should they be avoided?
Hydrogenated fats are solid at room temperature. Oils start out liquid. Food manufacturers shoot hydrogen into the oil to make it solid. Food companies rarely hydrogenate the healthy fats like olive oil and sesame oil because of expense and taste, but rather the cheaper and less healthy oils like corn oil and soybean oil. Eating too much trans fats and too little healthy fats can cause a ratio imbalance of the healthy and unhealthy fats and researchers think this discrepancy causes problems.
How does this translate into eating?
Kids need more nuts and natural nut butters, the kind with the oil on top (refrigerate after opening). If your school has a no nut policy, then serve those foods at home. Cook with olive oil; pack olives as a snack; dip veggies in hummus made with tahini or sesame paste; snack on guacamole and baked chips. Serve more fish – smoked salmon (nitrite free) on a whole wheat bagel with low fat cream cheese; grilled salmon, pan seared halibut, grilled shrimp, and other fatty fishes like tuna, though experts currently recommend limiting tuna to a few times a month due to elevated mercury levels.
What should be avoided?
Avoid anything with hydrogenated fats or partially hydrogenated fats. These fats are found in commercially fried foods like French fries, nuggets, and in commercially prepared products like frozen foods, cereals, candy and baked goods. It is also recommended to cut back on saturated vegetable fats like palm kernel oil as well as excess amounts of animal fat. Generally kids will benefit from a more plant based diet with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, healthy fats, moderate amounts of protein, and a little junk just to keep them happy!

For more articles and resources about “Nutrition and School Performance,” visit the FAMILY Magazine web site – www.washingtonFAMILY.com.

Work at Home Parents

2009-11-02T05:51:00.001-08:00

Have you ever considered that President Barack Obama is a work-from-home dad?

In today’s economy many moms and dads are looking at work-from-home options so that they can still be home with the kids but also develop their career or maybe just bring in some extra income for the family.

President Obama is an extreme example, and most work-from-home parents are moms.

There are over 120 million women in the workforce. Over 18% have children under the age of 18 and work one or more days a week from home.

According to Odesk.com, an online job source for work-from-home workers there are over 33 million people working from home. Odesk.com has thousands of job postings in over 70 categories for online and work-from-home job seekers.

On the www.ratracerebellion.com web site they list 111 job categories for those searching for a work-from-home opportunity. And by the way, Washington area entrepreneurs Christine Durst and Michael Haaren run this web site.

FlexJobs.com has over 50 categories with all of their jobs are hand-screened telecommuting/work-at-home jobs

Having workers that are home based reduces overhead expenses, allows access to talented workers who may not be available locally, provides off-hours support and helps retain employees. Many companies are becoming fans of telecommuting.

FAMILY Magazine started as a home-based business and still has many home-based employees.

Work-from-Home Web Site Resources

http://www.mompreneursonline.com
http://www.ratracerebellion.com
http://www.Homewiththekids.com
http://www.flexjobs.com
http://www.odesk.com
http://hbwm.com
http://www.wahm.com

Data on women in the workforce -- http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-databook2009.htm

Here are some examples of traditional work-from-home jobs:

Virtual assistant -- $15 to $100 per hour

Small businesses hire virtual assistants to help when they can't justify a permanent employee. The company I use for technology support just hired a virtual assistant to take all his incoming calls while he is out working on his clients computers and networks.

The International Virtual Assistants Association was co-founded in the 1990’s by Christine Durst of www.ratracerebellion.com, began with 28 members and has grown to more than 600, who charge from $15 per hour to more than $100 per hour.

Medical transcriptionist -- $20 per hour or more

Good transcriptionists are in very high demand. Expect initial earnings of less than $10 per hour, but some transcriptionists earn $20 or more per hour.

Translator -- $20.74 per hour

Home-based translators with hard-to-find language skills are not held back by geographic location. The site, Homewiththekids.com has 21 categories of jobs and within the translator listing there are 15 companies searching for translators.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-09, which groups translators and interpreters, notes a projected employment increase of 24 percent over the 2006-to-2016 decade, much faster than the average for all occupations. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the mean annual wage for a translator is $20.74 per hour. Some industries have significantly higher wages for translators. It depends on the type of translation.

Web developer/designer -- $10 to $150 per hour

Of the more than 15,000 new monthly work-from-home job postings on Odesk.com, Web developers are in the greatest demand. There is a large range for income in this category. It seems to vary depending on your level of experience. $10 to $150 per hour.

Call center representative -- unknown

While some Web sites, such as Alpineaccess.com, actually hire representatives, most use subcontractors. The pay may be by the minute rather than by the hour, so you may not be paid for time you spend waiting by the phone. It was very difficult to find a salary range for this. Most of the companies wanted to pre-screen you before you could find out what the salary range was.

Writer/editor -- $5-$20 per post, $50 per article

Writing jobs would include traditional writing as well as blogging. A list of blogging opportunities, for which the pay range is less than $5 per post to more than $20 per post, can be found at Homewiththekids.com.

Other Jobs –
Tech support specialist
Travel agent
Teacher or tutor

*****SCAM ALERT*****

There are so many work-from-home opportunities that it is hard to tell which ones are real and which ones are scams, cons and other ways to swindle people out of their money. Christine Durst of www.ratracerebellion.com suggests watching for these positive indicators of "real" employment:

* The hirer is an established company.
* The ad includes the company name and does not have applicants reply to a blind e-mail address.
* Human resources personnel are available for questions.
* There is mention of information commonly associated with "real" employment (benefits, vacations, policies, etc.).
* There is an application and interview process, not simply an e-mailed offer.
* The employer can detail the job duties and expectations.
* References/work samples are requested.

FAMILY Magazine started as a home-based business and we have supported working from home moms for years. There are good businesses out there that need a workforce but don’t want or need to have the “brick and mortar” building to go along with it. Search carefully and you might find the perfect match.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Nutritious Halloween Treats

2009-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

With Halloween approaching it’s hard to avoid candy. It feels like it’s everywhere. For parents, it can be worrisome with fears like cavities and childhood obesity. But there are spooky treats out there that you can make with your kids and don’t have to be full of sugar and candy.

This morning on WUSA9, Peggy Fox and FAMILY Magazine’s Liz McConville made great treats for kids that are easy to make and delicious to eat. These are simple enough for your child to make them and nutritious enough that you don’t have to worry about all that sugar.

Cup of Worms

What you will need:

Chocolate pudding
Gummy worms
Cocoa power or hot chocolate mix
Chocolate sprinkles
Clear plastic cups

How to make:

1. Make the chocolate pudding (already made- full recipe on www.washingtonFAMILY.com) and let it cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.
2. Next put individual portions into the clear plastic cups. Don’t worry about smoothing out the top, it should look rough.
3. Sprinkle cocoa powder and sprinkles on top of each cup.
4. Put a few gummy worms in the cup.
5. Lastly place in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Vampire Fangs in Blood

What you need:

8 large Red Delicious Apples,
1/4 cup of lemon juice,
1 tbsp. Of sugar,
1 10 oz. Of strawberry or cherry sauce.

How to make:

1. Wash, peel and core the apples.
2. Cut each apple into 8 pieces.
3. Dip the cut apples in lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.
4. Cut the apples into long narrow triangles and redip them in the lemon juice and lightly sprinkle them with sugar.
5. Arrange the fangs in a bowl with the sauce in the middle.
6. Make sure to sprinkle some of the “blood” on them.

Spider Pretzels

What you need:

2 round crackers
2 teaspoons of smooth peanut butter
8 small pretzel sticks
2 raisins

How to make:

1. Place the peanut butter between the two crackers and insert the pretzel sticks into the filling so they look like legs.
2. Take a little bit of peanut butter and place two eyes on the top of the cracker.

For more crafts and recipes, make sure to check out www.WashingtonFAMILY.com for other great ideas.

Do you have any other ideas or recipes you would like to share? Please send them along. Liz might even use one of your recipes in the FAMILY Magazine weekly eNewsletter!

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Artist Trading Cards

2009-10-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

If you are a mom, dad, or grandparent, you probably have kid art work all over your refrigerator, on your walls and tucked in boxes in your closet. But what else can you do to celebrate the art your kids create?

Today is on the Mom Like Me segment on WUSA9 Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor of Washington FAMILY Magazine, shared information about Artist Trading Cards, a space-saving way to enjoy kid art.

So what are Artist Trading Cards?

According to Amy, Artist Trading Cards are pocket-sized works of art intended to be traded or swapped like baseball or Pokémon cards. Cheryl Miehl, art teacher at the Congressional Schools of Virginia has a wonderful article about them in this month’s FAMILY Magazine. Pick one up or check it out online at www.washingtonfamily.com

What makes Artist Trading Cards so unique?

Amy points out that the only “rules” to Artist Trading Cards are the size (2.5 x 3.5 inches) and that they are only traded, never bought or sold. Typically most have a label on the back with the artist’s name and the name of the artwork.

They can be made out of anything. Truly, this is a project where imagination is the only limitation. It is a good idea to use a heavy paper like cardstock to make the cards more durable. Then kids can use paint, crayons, markers, glitter, string, tidbits and scraps. Whatever they want.

Once you’ve made them, then what?

Then it is time to trade them. They can be traded with friends, other artists, pen pals, grandparents. Setting up a swap meet is a great scout troop or neighborhood project. Cheryl also mentions several online sites that can help you find other kids to trade with around the globe. It’s a great idea to connect kids around the world with art. Or maybe connect kids with cousins or grandparents that live far away. There are so many options for how to swap these cards. And because they are so small, they can be kept in a binder like baseball cards or even in a changing collage photo frame so that kids can showcase new ones as they get or create them.

You can find Chrely Miehl’s article and more great craft ideas on the FAMILY Magazine web site, www.washingtonFAMILY.com.

What other great ideas to you have for showcasing your children’s art?

Your child’s artwork

2009-10-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

How do you display your child’s art? Do you put it on the refrigerator or on the walls? I have a neighbor that hangs it all over the walls of her garage. It looks so neat when you pull into the garage. I have several of my favorite art pieces that hand on the wall in my office.

We are going to be talking about a really cute new idea on how to take advantage of your child’s artwork on the WUSA 9 News Now on Monday morning. Please tune in and then join in the conversation inside the Washington FAMILY Magazine group on MomsLikeMe.com on Monday morning.

Boost Your Family’s Immunity

2009-10-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

Flu season is fast approaching. This year parents are more concerned than usual due to the swine flu’s epidemic and its possible hard-hitting effect on young children. We all want to protect ourselves and our children. So how can we boost our family’s immunity and our body’s ability to resist disease?
Today, Judy Caplan, Registered Dietitian, Nutrition Editor for FAMILY Magazine and author of the children’s book Gobey Gets Full – Good Nutrition in a Nutshell (www.gobefull.com), shared tips on how to Boost Your Family’s Immunity during the Moms Like Me segment on WUSA9.
Judy suggests:
While there is no magic bullet to prevent coming down with a virus, you can reduce your chances of getting sick by improving the overall health of your body. Take a three pronged approach to building resistance:
· Get plenty of rest
· Exercise regularly
· And on the nutrition side, eat plenty of vegetables and foods high in vitamin A

Foods high in vitamin A help fight infections:

Studies show that Vitamin A and its metabolites play a role in immunity to infectious disease by keeping mucosal tissue healthy. Viruses often enter the body through mucus membranes. However this does not mean you should go out and start taking vitamin A supplements. Vitamin A supplements in large doses can cause liver toxicity. So instead of supplements, increase foods that are high in vitamin A.

Vitamin A rich foods:
In the vegetable group broccoli, carrots (either cooked or raw), kale, and spinach are very high in Vitamin A. Baked yams are also a good source. In the fruit department, apricots, cantaloupe, papaya, avocado and tomatoes are the best sources for Vitamin A. Yes avocados and tomatoes are technically fruits!

How to work Vitamin A rich veggies into your diet on a daily basis:
Kids like dipping, so steam some broccoli and have them dip it in ranch dressing. Carrots are great in soups (so is broccoli), grated in salads, and baked in muffins and breads. You can make a delicious and healthy spinach and artichoke dip with low fat cheese, served hot with whole grain crackers. (We can post some recipes on the web site) Baked yams are also a hit with kids.
How to work in Vitamin A rich fruits into your diet on a daily basis:
Apricot jam can be spread on whole grain toast with natural peanut butter or added to plain yogurt. Dried apricots and papaya make a great sweet snack. But just eat a few as they are high in calories. Avocados are great as toppings on sandwiches, salads, and beans. Guacamole makes a great snack with baked whole grain chips.

For more articles and resources about how to “Boost Your Family’s Immunity,” visit the Washington FAMILY Magazine web site – www.washingtonFAMILY.com.

Building Stronger Bubbles (and learning about them)

2009-10-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

Do you ever look for activities to do with your kids that will not only be fun but also educational?

On this Monday’s segment on WUSA9 News Now, I showed Peggy Fox and the viewers a nifty trick with bubbles. We made stronger bubbles that we could bounce and play with.

But before I forget, here is a reminder about the Private School and Enrichment FAIR that will be taking place next Saturday.

Saturday, October 10th 11:00 am- 4 pm
NEWSEUM in Washington DC
555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Enter at the 6th Street Entrance
FREE Admission
Hands-on Science Activities
Door Prizes

If you have been thinking about going to the Newseum but thought it was a bit pricy, this is a terrific opportunity for you. We will be giving out discount tickets to the Newseum at the FAIR. The FAIR is free and you don’t have to go through the Newseum to get to it. You enter on the 6th Street entrance. And when you get there, just ask for your discounted tickets to the Newseum. Be sure to let the kids do some of the hands-on activities we will be doing at the FAIR. There will be door prizes and seminars on topics of interest to moms and dads.

SEMINARS:
Active, Healthy Lifestyles for Kids (Presented by Richard Romero)
Preparing Kids for Success in School (Presented by Monica Gourovitch, PhD)
Family Wills, Trusts & Selecting a Guardian (Presented by Carrie Tipton, Esq.)
Panel Discussion -- Meet the Directors
School Admissions Questions and How to Choose a School
-----Bekah Atkinson, The Siena School
-----Leigh Ann Cahill, Independent School Options
-----Bobby Edwards, McLean School of Maryland
-----Susan Matilla-Goin, National Cathedral School
-----Theodra Washington, Metropolitan Educational Consulting Group
-----Karen Weinberger, Congressional School of Virginia
Hands-On Science Activities with Your Child & Discussion
and Resources for Science at Home (Presented by the Children's Science Center)
***SPECIAL MOMS DO LUNCH NETWORKING***
Special Needs Within Private Schools (Presented by Sally Neuberger, LCSW)
The Bully Prevention Parenting Seminar (Presented by Dr. Marc Grande, Psy.D.)

Special Prizes:
· Family Weekend Getaway for four to Massanutten Resort
(includes accommodations and indoor water park tickets)
· $500 School Tuition
(to the private school of your choice)
· Shred Sled Skateboard
· Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker
· DVD’s
· Books
· … and more

Click Here for all the information on the fair.
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Private-School-Enrichment-FAIR-on-October-10-2009

Now, about those strong bubbles. First, what is a bubble?

According to Wikipedia:
A soap bubble is a very thin film of soapy water that forms a sphere with an iridescent surface. Soap bubbles usually last for only a few moments before bursting, either on their own or on contact with another object. Before they pop on their own, the bubble itself usually starts to thin, then it reaches a point where it can thin out no more and it pops. They are often used for children's enjoyment, but their usage in artistic performances shows that they can also be fascinating for adults. Soap bubbles can help solving complex mathematical problems of space, as they will always find the smallest surface area between points or edges, for example.

Surface tension causes the layer of soap to act as an elastic sheet with the water forming the bubble. Liquids have surface tension and it draws them together. Have you ever seen 2 drops of mercury get close to each other and then suddenly become one drop? That is surface tension. Another example easy for children to see is when rain drops are running down the window. When they get close to another rain drop they join together and become a larger rain drop.

This is all a part of the laws of physics.

If you just let a bubble sit on the table or your hand, it will eventually pop because the water evaporates and the surface tension is too much as the bubble contracts. You can freeze bubbles but you have to have the temperature at -15 degrees Celsius. (5 degrees F).

A Chicago company called Chemtoy began selling bubble solution in the 1940s, and they have captivated children ever since. According to one industry estimate, retailers sell around 200 million bottles annually, perhaps more than any other toy.

What we did this morning was add glycerin to our soap and water mixture. This makes the bubble stronger. Then we tested our bubbles.

(FYI the trick to making the solution produce really strong bubbles is to let it sit at least overnight before you start using it.)

If you try to catch a bubble with your bare hand, you will most likely pop it because of the dirt and oil on your hand breaks the surface tension of the soap and water bubble. If you put on a soft fabric glove, you can catch the “strong” bubbles and bounce them around. Or you can just hold one in your hand until it evaporates and pops. It is great fun. Here is the recipe we used for our strong bubble mixture.

Strong Bubble Ingredients:

Cup of distilled or bottled water

Tablespoon of dish soap

Teaspoon of Glycerin

Bubble wand or straw

Be sure to let it sit for 24 hours. Then you can blow and bounce to your heart’s content.

Do you have any activities that are fun and relate to science? I would love to see them. Send them along and we will share them with other parents.

Happy Parenting,
Brenda

P.S. Remember – we want to see you next Saturday at the Newseum for the Private School & Enrichment FAIR.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2009-09-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe that so much of the first quarter of this new school year is already behind us. And that means Parent Teacher Conferences are just around the corner. These conferences can sometimes be so daunting. How do you make this easier?

Today, Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor of Washington FAMILY Magazine and an educator, shared Parent Teacher Conference suggestions during the Moms Like Me segment on WUSA9.

Amy suggests:

First, look at the goal of the conference. It’s to open communication with the teacher. You’re not going to be able to address in-depth issues in 15 minutes. It is more of a springboard to get communication rolling. In fact, in our family, we don’t wait until the end of the quarter to meet with our kids’ teachers. We always schedule a conference within the first few weeks of school so that we’ve already interfaced with the teacher from the get-go.

Before the conference:
Take some time to think through anything you want to share with the teacher or questions you may have and jot them down. Conferences go quickly and this way you won’t forget something important, especially if there are concerns or large issues you need to discuss. Also, ask your child if there is anything he wants you to talk about. Sometimes children have questions that are hard for them to bring directly to the teacher.

When you’re actually in the room meeting with the teacher:
Be on time and end on time. It is so tempting to keep talking, but often teachers have conferences scheduled back-to-back. Again, this meeting is hopefully the start of an on-going conversation. If you can’t cover everything, introduce your main points and set up another meeting for a later date.

You will have questions and the teacher will have information to share. Take turns being a good listener and a concise speaker, which can be very hard when you are talking about your child.

During the meeting, write down action items, decisions or questions to discuss further. At the end of the meeting, review those items so that you and the teacher are both working on the same goals.

After the conference:
If you have anything to put into action or follow up on, get started right away. A post conference email is always a good idea, both to thank the teacher for her time and to clarify goals, plans and questions.

Most importantly, keep in touch with the teacher throughout the year. You are not restricted to the one or two conferences a year. Your child’s education should be a partnership between you and the teacher. Research shows that children whose parents are involved in their education are more successful at school. So ask what you can do at home and be involved in your child’s school.

Here are some lists that might help.

Things to remember:
What is the Goal of the Conference?
Communication is Key.
Consider Scheduling Early in the Year

Prepare for Conference
Think through questions.
Write them down.
Ask your child for questions.

Day of Conference Tips
Be on time.
Introduce your main points.
If needed, set up another.
Be a good listener.
Take notes.
Review notes at the end.

After the conference?
Take action.
A post conference email.
Keep in touch with the teacher.
Ask what you can do at home.
Be involved in your child’s school.

For more articles and resources about “Parent Teacher Conferences,” visit the Washington FAMILY Magazine web site - http://www.washingtonfamily.com/.

Do you have some Parent-Teacher Conference tips that you use? Please let us know and we can share with other parents.

Happy Parenting,
Brenda

Article Links -- to some interesting articles

Getting Ready for the New School Year
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Above-and-Beyond-Get-Your-Child-Ready-for-the-New-School-Year

Vision and Reading Skills
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Vision-Problems-Can-Affect-Your-Childs-Reading-Skills_

Parental Involvement
http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/STEP-UP-PARENTAL-INVOLVEMENT-FOR-THE-NEW-SCHOOL-YEAR

Are you worried about your children catching the H1N1 flu?

2009-09-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Are you worried about your children catching the H1N1 flu? We are going to be talking about how to help our kids not catch the flu on WUSA9 on Monday morning. It is something to be concerned about.

Now that kids are back in school, parents are understandably leery about recent serious health concerns. Recently the CDC reported 436 deaths and 6,506 hospitalizations nationwide associated with H1N1 flu. No one knows what this school year has in store, so what must parents do to make sure their child stays safe from the H1N1 Flu?

What can parents do to protect their children?

First it is important to note that based on its wide spread, the World Health Organization has declared the 2009 outbreak of the new H1N1 flu a global pandemic. And the best approach we can take with our children is to help them avoid infection. If you or your children develop symptoms of the H1N1 or any flu, seek prompt medical attention to give yourself the best chance of antiviral drugs being effective.
H1N1 flu symptoms in humans are similar to those of infection with other flu strains and they include:
· Fever
· Cough
· Sore throat
· Body aches
· Headache
· Chills
· Fatigue
· Diarrhea
· Vomiting
And the CDC notes that H1N1 flu symptoms develop three to five days after you're exposed to the virus and continue for about eight days. You are contagious starting one day before you get sick and continuing until you've recovered. This means that it is imperative for parents to keep children home and away from others as soon as they first become ill.
What are some preventative tips for parents.

The best way that parents can protect their children from this outbreak is with prevention. And the best prevention with any infection is to wash hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds (parents should tell children to wash long enough to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice). Parents should teach kids to wash their hands throughout the day. And parents can keep anti-bacterial pumps accessible. Explain what the pumps are and when it's appropriate to use them.

Also instruct children to cough and sneeze into a tissue. (If a tissue is used, throw the tissue away immediately). Remind children not to touch their eyes, nose and mouth with their hands. Germs are spread when a child touches something that is contaminated and then touches her or his eyes, nose or mouth. Plus remind children that sharing food and drink will also spread germs.
Additionally stay at least six feet away from people who are sick. And stay home from school if sick, and stay away from sick people until they are better.
The CDC’s website has plenty of additional information for parents and caregivers that are concerned about this newest health threat. Just follow the link on MomsLikeMe.com.

Flu Symptoms
· Fever
· Cough
· Sore throat
· Body aches
· Headache
· Chills
· Fatigue
· Diarrhea

Tips for Kids to Prevent the Flu
· Wash hands for 20 seconds
· (Teach kids to sing “Happy Birthday” twice when washing hands)
· Use anti-bacterial gels
· Contain your cough or sneeze
· Throw the tissue in the trash
· Do not share food or drink
· Stay 6 feet away
· Stay home when sick

And a quick reminder that our next Moms MEET UP will be in Silver Spring at Color Me Mine on this Wednesday, September 16, at 11 AM. You find details on DC.MomsLikeMe.com inside the Moms Do Lunch Group. Hope to see you there.

Brenda

Back to School Crafts

2009-08-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of the year again, back-to-school time. Parents all over the area are getting their kids ready with clothes, books and supplies. This can be a crazy time for both parents and children. To ease children back into school why not make their supplies personal and fun?

This morning on WUSA9 Peggy Fox and I talked about how to make personalized pencil cases and book covers is Liz McConville, Resource Editor of Washington FAMILY Magazine.

Today we talked about two easy crafts that parents can do with their kids to get them excited about the coming year.

First, we have pencil cases to decorate. What you will need are pencil cases, foam letter stickers and scrapbook stickers. There is a vast selection at any craft store.

The second craft we have are book covers. Now you can go out and buy book covers for your kids, however some schools don’t accept the stretchy kind of cover. You can also make these right at home using paper bags from the grocery stores, which would be a great green alternative. You will need a pair of scissors, tape, any kind of decorations, along with a paper grocery bag.

Cut grocery bag at seams so it is one big piece of paper. Lay down your book on the brown paper. Allow for 2 1/2 inches more at the top & bottom of book. Open the book. Place the inside front cover 2-3 inches from the edge of the paper. Fold over cover and close your book, pull it tight. Cut other side 2-3 inches from the book. Open the book leaving the back cover down. Fold the paper into the back cover and close the book.

Crease the edges around the book. Crease where the spine of the book is and bend the paper down where the edge of the book is. Place your scissors at the edges of the spine until the blade touches the edge of the book. Bend up the flap and cut it off. Bend the remaining flaps out and mark where you are going to fold and tape. Cut off inside extra flap. Open the front cover. The top and bottom flaps get folded down while the left flaps get taped on top. Tape only one side at a time. Repeat the final step with the back cover.

Back-to-School is a great time for fresh beginnings and these simple crafts will help you and your child get organized and ready for a happy and successful school year!

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Preparing your child for the first day of kindergarten

2009-08-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

The first day of school can be stressful for kids and their parents. The first day of kindergarten is can be more stressful. Many parents prepare their child academically but sometimes we can forget to teach them the really simple things that can make the difference between a great first day and a disaster. Right now is a great time to make these preparations.

This morning on WUSA9 Peggy Fox and I talked about how we can prepare our kindergarteners for the first day of school.

I often think the first day of a child’s academic career is harder on mom that it is on the child. It certainly was for me.

The best way to make it easier on you is to be prepared. Much of your anxiety is due to the fact that your child is no longer under your wing. Being prepared will relieve your fears.

Talk to other moms – we have all be there. We understand.

Get involved with the school -- this will also help you feel like you are still attached and part of your child’s academic adventure.

Most children just starting kindergarten have some the same fears. We think they are going to be concerned about the academics but mostly they are worried about the simply, everyday activities.

In the August issue of FAMILY Magazine, Paula Court tells us how she spoke with preschoolers and found that they had some pretty standard fears. Here is Paula’s list of the “Top Preschooler Questions.”

How Will I Get to School?
How Do I Find My Classroom?
What If I Have to Go to the Restroom?
What Will Lunchtime Be Like?
How Will I Get Home After School?

Paula’s Tip for Moms
Remember- children watch you carefully and listen to everything you say, so if you're worried or apprehensive about anything concerning kindergarten-don't show it. If this is your first child to go to school, don’t cry in front of your child. That might be really hard, but it will help them a great deal.

My Own Experience

I can remember every first day of school for my four children. Each day was different just like each of my children are unique. When my oldest went off to kindergarten for the first time, I was really scared. This was my first child and I did not know what to do. She was pretty confident and marched right into the classroom without much hesitation at all. She walked up to where the other kindergarteners where sitting in a circle and the teacher was reading a book. She sat down and started listening.

The teacher said hello to her and smiled at me. I knew that was my cue to leave. I turned around and walked out of the classroom. And, then I squeezed in right behind the door and peeked into the room. My daughter had her back to me and could not see me but I could see her.

I cried like a baby. It was so silly. I was standing behind a door peeking through the crack, crying. If anyone had walked past me they surely would have laughed. After a few minutes I became confident that she was going to survive without me so I went out to my car. I sat in the parking lot and cried some more.

I still cry on the first day of school. I even cried when my kids went off to college. There is just something so touching to me about starting that journey and beginning a new year of school. Every year you give your children a bit more independence and they move closer and closer to being separate from you. You loose some things but you gain others. You are proud and at the same time sad to see them grow up.

Tell us a little about your experiences, fears and how you feel about your little ones going off to school. We can all share the experience together.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Pool Safety

2009-08-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hot summer days are the perfect time to cool off at the pool. FAMILY Magazine has a great list of area water parks and spraygrounds. You can find it on this link.

http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Having-a-Splash-at-Area-Water-Parks-Spraygrounds

But with drowning the second leading cause of accidental death among children ages one to fourteen, just how safe is summer fun in the water?

Today Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor of Washington FAMILY Magazine, shared some pool safety tips during WUSA9’s DC Moms Like Me segment.

Most of us know about having locked fences around pools and completely removing pool and hot tub covers so kids don’t become trapped under them. But what else can you do to keep your kids safe?

Amy offers a number of other measures that make summer even safer.

Vigilance is the number one way to keep your kids safe. Most young children who drown in pools or hot tubs have been out of sight for less than five minutes. It can’t be said often enough, you have to watch your kids around water.

With infants and toddlers, use “touch supervision” meaning you are always within an arm’s length.

If a babysitter takes your child to the pool, make sure he or she knows about pool safety and the need for constant supervision.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to have an in ground pool to practice pool safety. Children can drown in as little as one inch of water. So think about inflatable and baby pools. Either fence or drain them when you are not using them.

With any size pool or hot tub, keep a phone nearby so you don’t leave your child unsupervised while running inside to answer it and so it’s right there for emergencies. Also keep a list of emergency phone numbers near the pool or hot tub.

What if you are lucky enough to have a pool at home? Are there any extra safety measures?

Amy notes:

Make sure toys are out of the pool after playtime to lessen the chance of a child falling in while reaching for a toy.

Keep chairs and tables away from the pool fence so that kids can’t climb the fence to get in to the pool.

And if your child is missing, always check the pool first. Every second counts!

Recently, there has been a lot in the news about the safety of pool and hot tub drains.
Because of the danger of kids being trapped underwater by the pool drain suction, federal legislation, known as The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, was enacted to help ensure all public pools and spas have safety-compliant drain covers and anti-entrapment systems. The safety act was passed into law in December of 2007 and is named for a 7 year old girl who died in 2002 after being trapped underwater by the powerful suction of a hot tub drain.
Amy notes that it is critical to teach your kids to stay away from pool and hot tub drains.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the pressure on some pool drains can be as strong as 300 pounds per square inch.

To keep safe, kids should tie back long hair, remove jewelry, make sure their arms, legs and heads stay clear of the drains and not sit on drains. This goes for public as well as private pools and hot tubs.

If you do have a pool or hot tub, clearly label the circuit breaker in case it needs to be turned off in an emergency.

And remember, these tips apply to any pool from community pools to hot tubs in the backyard. Even if you don’t own a pool, your child may play with kids who do or their camp or daycare may take them to the pool. Be sure to teach them about the dangers of pool drains and pool safety.

Also be sure to visit Washington FAMILY Magazine’s website, www.washingtonfamily.com, for a list of top local pools and spraygrounds where you and your family can cool off this summer. Know of a great place to get wet that isn’t listed, let us know and we’ll add it to our ever-growing list.

So let’s get this conversation going. What do you do to ensure your kids are safe at the pool?

Firefly Fun and Craft

2009-07-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

There’s nothing that says a summer night like the blinking lights of fireflies in the darkness. When people think of summertime activities they did as children, odds are they caught lightning bugs or fireflies. This morning on WUSA9 News Now Peggy Fox and Liz McConville (our Resource Editor) talked about fireflies and how much fun it is to catch them. Peggy’s children were on to show how to make a firefly jar.

What are fireflies?

Something that people may not know is that fireflies are actually beetles. There are about 2,000 species of fireflies in the world and tend to live in a variety of warm and mostly humid environments. However they can be found in drier areas but they tend to be found around damp areas.

What makes fireflies glow?

They have special organs under their abdomens. When the fireflies take in oxygen inside special cells, it combines with a substance called luciferin that produces the light with almost no heat. This light is used mostly to attract mates but can also be used to communicate with each other, defend territory and warn predators.

What’s the best way to catch a firefly?

Fireflies can be found during summer months in fields or forests or even in your yard. When you want to catch them, make sure to turn off your exterior house lights since that can distract them. You can use a flashlight to mimic their light patterns. Use a net if you have one, you can catch them in your hands also but be very careful since fireflies are very fragile.

What we’re making today are the containers you put the fireflies in. It can be any kind of container but a clear plastic or glass jar lets you see what you catch. You can decorate your jar with paint pens, stickers and all sorts of art supplies.

Make sure the top of the jar is well ventilated and place a damp paper towel inside the jar to keep the air humid. This way, they will be able to breathe and won’t dry out. Once caught, don’t keep them for longer than two days and let them go at night. Treat the fireflies carefully, their numbers are dwindling due to various causes like light pollution.

To find out more about fireflies check out: www.firefly.org or www.nationalgeographic.com/animals

Hope you are having a great summer. If you have other summer activities that are fun for kids, send them along. We will share them with other moms.

Happy Parenting, Brenda

Best Playgrounds and Playground Safety

2009-07-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

Now is the time of year when we are all taking advantage of the wonderful recreational facilities that we have in the Washington Region including some great parks for kids.

However, according to the National Program for Playground Safety, each year over 205,000 preschool and elementary children receive emergency department care for injuries that occur in parks.

Where are the great parks?

Every year in our Best for Families survey we ask parents where their favorite park or playground is. Our Best for Families is an annual survey of parents about resources in the Washington area and it appears in our July magazine. As you can imagine, it is EXTREMELY popular.

This year there were over 4,000 nominees in our Best for Families Survey. There were many, many playgrounds and parks nominated but the top three are favorites of mine. Here is a link to the Best for Families Winner Page. You can also find detailed descriptions of many of these parks inside the FAMILY Magazine WEB EXTRAS (here is the link). The number one playground or park in the Best for Families survey was Clemyjontri Park in McLean. Here is some information about Clemyjontri as well as the next two most favorite playgrounds.

Clemyjontri Park
6317 Georgetown Pike
McLean, Virginia 22101
703-388-2807
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/PARKS/CLEMYJONTRI/
Features a unique playground where children of all abilities can play side-by-side. It is a playground where every child is welcome. Children who use wheelchairs, walkers or braces, or who have sensory or developmental disabilities, can have a parallel playground experience. At Clemyjontri ramps connect structures, swings have high backs, arm rests and special safety features, rubber surfacing allows wheelchairs to roll easily, lowered monkey bars provide easy access, equipment is designed to be sensory rich so all children can participate with peers, & wider openings allows easy access to play structures. Other features include a carousel and a picnic pavilion. The entrance road leads to an 81-space parking area and a drop-off zone for vehicles whose passengers need close access. Future development will include other amenities in the surrounding 10 acres of space.

Clemyjontri is located on Georgetown Pike in McLean. It was opened in 2006 with funding donated by Mrs. Adele Lebowitz who envisioned an oasis for youngsters – especially those with physical, sensory or developmental disabilities. The name “CLEMYJONTRI” is derived from the four Lebowitz children’s names.

Cabin John Regional Park
7400 Tuckerman Lane
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 299-0024
http://www.mc-mncppc.org/Parks/facilities/regional_parks/cabinjohn/index.shtm
Huge park with lots of climbing structures, slides, mazes, play houses, swings, Cinderella's pumpkin carriage, airplane, and cars. Other features include miniature train, snack bar, rest rooms, hiking trails, picnic areas, indoor/outdoor tennis courts, ice skating rink, Locust Grove Nature Center, the Cabin John Amphitheatre and lighted athletic fields. Plenty of shade. During the summer months, evening concerts are offered to the public free of charge.

The park has --
* 1 Baseball Field (lighted)
* 5 softball Fields (one lighted)
* 4 Tennis Practice Walls (lighted)
* 9 Tennis Courts (lighted)
* Pee-Wee Soccer Field
* 4 Single Wall Handball Courts
* 1 Volley Court

Burke Lake Park
7315 Ox Road,
Fairfax Station, VA
703-323-6600
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/burkelake/
A 218-acre lake with fishing, boating, rowboat rental, camping, a miniature train, a carousel, outdoor volleyball courts, open fields, an 18-hole par 3 golf course, clubhouse with snack bar and driving range, disk golf, horse shoe pits, an ice cream parlor, picnic areas with grills, 3 playgrounds, trails, amphitheater, and a brand new miniature golf course. Swimming and windsurfing are prohibited.

For a list with pictures of area parks from our resource editor, Liz McConville’s list of area parks and playgrounds CLICK HERE. (http://www.washingtonfamily.com/page/Favorite-Area-Parks-Playgrounds)

For the Best for Families survey results, CLICK HERE.

National Program for Playground Safety says that each year over 205,000 preschool and elementary children receive emergency department care for injuries that occur on playground equipment.

* 76% of the injuries happened on public playground equipment
* 23% occurred on home playground equipment

15% of these injuries were classified as severe and 49% were injuries to the head or face.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in a recent study of U.S. hospital emergency rooms, the majority of playground accidents (79%) resulted from falls from equipment.

KidsHealthy.org has a great article about playground safety and what you can do to make sure the playground you go to is a safe place for your children. Here are some excerpts from their article.

From KidsHealthy.org:
The most important factors in evaluating the safety of any playground are surface, design and spacing, and equipment inspection and maintenance.

Surfaces

A proper playground surface is one of the most important factors in reducing injuries — and the severity of injuries — that occur when kids fall from equipment. The surface under the playground equipment should be soft enough and thick enough to soften the impact of a child's fall.

Here are some things to consider:

* Concrete, asphalt, and blacktop are unsafe and unacceptable. Grass, soil, and packed-earth surfaces are also unsafe because weather and wear can reduce their capacities to cushion a child's fall.
* The playground surface should be free of standing water and debris that could cause kids to trip and fall, such as rocks, tree stumps, and tree roots.
* There should be no dangerous materials, like broken glass or twisted metal.
* The surfaces may be loosely filled with materials like wood chips, mulch, sand, pea gravel, or shredded rubber.
* Surfacing mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials are also safe.
* Rubber mats and wood chips allow the best access for people in wheelchairs.
* Loose-fill surface materials 12 inches deep should be used for equipment up to 8 feet high. The material should not be packed down because this will reduce any cushioning effect.
* No surfacing materials are considered safe if the combined height of playground and the child (standing on the highest platform) is higher than 12 feet.
* The cushioned surface should extend at least 6 feet past the equipment. Additional coverage may be needed, depending on how high a slide is or how long a swing is.
* If there is loose-fill over a hard surface (like asphalt or concrete), there should be 3-6 inches of loose-fill like gravel, a layer of geo-textile cloth, a layer of loose-fill surfacing material, and then impact mats under the playground equipment.

Keep in mind that even proper surfacing can't prevent all injuries. Also, the greater the height of the equipment, the more likely kids are to get injured if they fall from it.

Design and Spacing

Playground equipment should be designed for three different age groups: infants and toddlers under 2, 2- to 5-year-olds (preschoolers), and 5- to 12-year-olds (school-age kids).

In the safest playgrounds, play areas for younger children are separated from those meant for older kids and signs clearly designate each area to prevent confusion.

Younger children should not play on equipment designed for older kids because the equipment sizes and proportions won't be right for small kids, and this can lead to injury. Likewise, older kids shouldn't play on equipment designed for younger ones. Smaller equipment and spaces can cause problems for bigger kids.

Maintenance and Inspection

Whether your kids play on a home or public playground, it's important for you to take a general look at the equipment to make sure that it is clean and well maintained.

Check for objects (like hardware, S-shaped hooks, bolts, and sharp or unfinished edges) that stick out on equipment and could cut a child or cause clothing to become entangled.

Blog Endorsements

2009-07-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

Do you read blog reviews of products and then buy the product? Recently I came across an article about the liability parenting blogs may have when it comes to product endorsements. I guess I had not given any thought to the importance of these endorsements. Have you ever purchased an item because you read a blog about it?Have you ever considered blogging about a product? I know some moms who have done this. There is even a web site where you can sign up to become involved in word-of-mouth marketing. Business Week Magazine recently ran an article describing how companies can to pitch to mommy bloggers.Apparently there is a regulatory review process underway by the Federal Trade Commission to determine whether reviews by bloggers may be in violation of good business practices. Maria Bailey of BSM Media says that moms spend $2.1 trillion annually and that this is expected to go up to $3 trillion by 2012. Her data states that 80 percent of moms buy a product at the recommendation of another mother and 87 percent of mothers read blogs.Do you think this is true? Anyone have an idea of how we can verify this data?Marketing to moms through blogs appears to be big business! Brenda

Summer Fun Ideas

2009-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

With summer in full swing, you might be asking yourself, “What can I do with the kids today?”

Today Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor for Washington FAMILY Magazine, was on WUSA9 to share some ideas for places to go and things to do with your kids this summer.

Here are a few of her favorites?

This year, money is on everyone’s mind, so why not take the kids to see where money comes from. At the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, kids can see money being printed, stacked, cut and examined for defects.

And while you are in DC, be sure to check out the National Aquarium. It is tucked in the bottom of the Commerce Building and is home to over 200 different species including alligators, piranha and sharks. Her kids love exploring all it has to offer.

Looking for suggestions of things to do if you are looking to keep costs down this summer? There are so many low-cost or no-cost options in this area.

Amy suggests spending the summer going on a playground hunt. Whether you search out neighborhood parks, mall play places or regional playgrounds, involve the whole family in seeing how many new play places you can find. Try packing a picnic lunch once a week and having a playground adventure. You can even set up a rating scale for the playgrounds you visit and vote for your family favorites at the end of the summer.

Do you have kids fascinated by history, science or nature?

Here in the DC Metro area we have nineteen National Parks and Monuments that offer kids ages 6-14 the opportunity to earn a Junior Ranger Badge. At places like the C&O Canal, Manassas Battlefields, Great Falls National Park and the Korean War Memorial kids complete activities, games and projects that teach them more about the park or monument so they really get an in depth knowledge about the park.

If your kids are in to science or dinosaurs or just spending the day in the outdoors, they might love hunting for prehistoric sharks’ teeth. Amy’s family found dozens of sharks’ teeth at Purse State Park in Maryland. Both there and at the more well-known Calvert Cliffs, you can find sharks teeth and ray plates along the shore that are millions of years old.

If your kids are in to sports, we’re so lucky to have several options in this area. We have three minor league baseball teams in the Metro area where you can get all of the enjoyment of a ball game with a reduced price tag. We are also home to the Washington Glory, a women’s fast pitch softball team and Washington Freedom, the new professional women’s soccer team.

And what if, even with all these great things to do, your kids still hit you with the classic, “I’m bored!”

Amy suggests, “Let them be bored.” Set out a few puzzles, craft supplies or books and let them learn to entertain themselves. They may even surprise themselves with the creative things they come up with.

You can find more summer things to do and places to go on the Washington FAMILY Magazine web site www.washingtonFAMILY.com. Amy’s article, “50 Days of Summer Fun,” lists places to go and things to do.

Easy Patriotic Kids’ Crafts

2009-06-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

Patriotic crafts was the subject this morning on WUSA9 News Now. Liz McConville of FAMILY Magazine demonstrated a couple fo great ideas if you want to stay away from live fireworks this year.

When people think of Independence Day they usually think of fireworks. cookouts and parades. But you can get your children involved in the day’s festivities without the safety issues of live fireworks.

Here are two easy patriotic kids’ crafts that the whole family can enjoy.

Star-Spangled Wavers
The first craft is to make star-spangled wavers. Just in case you don’t know what these are they are essentially batons with streamers. All you need are five items: scissors, tacky glue, a 3/8 inch dowel, and red, white and blue felt and ribbons.

First cut a pair of six-inch stars from the felt. Then make two smaller stars, each slightly smaller than the other, to place on top of your bigger star. Make sure to use different colors for each star. Place the dowel between the two larger stars and glue the stars around the dowel. Then you can glue the smaller stars on top of the bigger one. Make sure to let the glue dry and then you can tie the ribbon around the dowel. Now you have a fun star-spangled waver.

4th of July Shaker
The second craft is to make your own 4th of July shaker. All you need is an empty toilet paper tube, tissue paper, uncooked beans, scissors, glue, and two aluminum-baking cups to cap off the end. Another optional item you could use would be glitter to make it pretty.

First glue an aluminum-baking cup to one end of the toilet paper tube. Pour a handful of beans into the tube. Then glue your other aluminum baking cut to the other end of the tube. Then you can decorate your tube with the tissue paper and glitter. Now shake away.

Here area a cou;le more of crafts from Denise Morrison Yearian, a regular contributor to our magazine.

PATRIOTIC PLANTERS
Items needed: Terracotta planter; red, white and blue non-toxic acrylic paint; paintbrushes; ruler; pencil; white star stickers; potting soil; plant; small American flag.

Paint the top rim of the planter blue and the lower portion white. Let it dry. Give both colors a second coat of paint then let it dry again. On the lower, white portion, use a pencil and ruler to draw vertical lines that are evenly spaced apart. Paint a red stripe between every other line so it looks like an American flag. On the upper, blue rim attach small, white star stickers over the blue paint. Fill the planter with potting soil, add a plant and push a small American flag into the soil.

“STAR SPANGLED” LUMINARIES
Items needed: Star stencil (several inches in diameter); paper lunch bags; red, white and blue tissue paper; glue stick; star stickers; sand; tea lights.

Use the star stencil to trace and cut out stars on red, white and blue tissue paper. Glue the stars to the inside sides of an open paper bag using a glue stick. Add small star-shaped stickers to the inside too, if desired. Fill the bag with two inches of sand. Repeat these steps to make additional luminaries. Place luminaries outdoors where you can keep an eye on them. Press a tea light into the sand at the center of each bag. As the sun sets, light the luminaries and watch the stars glimmer and glow.

You can read several more craft ideas from Denise inside the July issue of Washington FAMILY Magazine. To find a location where you can pick up a copy, go to http://www.washingtonfamily.com/ and click on the “Where to Find” words at the bottom of the page.

Happy Holiday!

Brenda

Kids flying solo

2009-06-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I discussed children traveling alone with Peggy Fox on WUSA9 News Now. If you are planning to put your child on an airplane for a trip alone, you may have cringed when you heard the news a few days ago. Two young unaccompanied girls, traveling separately, were placed on the wrong Continental Airlines flights.
For many families this is a summer ritual, children flying alone to see grandparents in faraway cities, going to a favorite camp or perhaps spending time with another parent.
How safe is this and how can we plan so that we make it easier on our children? Here are some of the tips Peggy and I talked about.

How old should a child be before you allow them to travel alone?
Millions of children fly alone each year, the majority without incident. Most airlines will not allow a child under 5 to travel alone. Children ages 5-14 who travel without a parent or guardian are known as “unaccompanied minors.”
Whether or not your child is mature enough to travel alone is really dependent on the child and not their age.

What type of guidelines do the airlines have?
Many airlines will not allow children who are under 7 to make connections at all, but in the event a minor is old enough to change planes, airline personnel will probably escort them and a fee of $70 to $100 will be charged. Some airlines will not allow any minor to take a flight with a connection.
We have links to specific airline guidelines inside the MomsLikeMe.com group for Washington FAMILY Magazine.

Is this really a safe way to send your child on a trip?
I know we have heard some really bad press on this over the last week, however I know of many children who have traveled across the country with good experiences. In my own family we sent our youngest off to a camp in the Florida Keys for several years. We were allowed to go through security and walk her onto the plane. At the other end, the camp had personnel there to greet her as she left the plane. She called me immediately and we never had any problems.

You have some tips for Smooth Travel for Unaccompanied Minors

Buy Nonstop Tickets
Try to buy nonstop tickets for your child. This will make the trip much easier for them and for you. Also, try to get morning flights. This will give you more time if you have a problem with canceled or delayed flights.

Tell the Airlines
Talk to the airlines in advance to become familiar with their policies. Make sure they know your child will be traveling unaccompanied.

Verify You Can Go to the Gate
Verify in advance that you can go with your child to board the plane or come close to boarding the plane. You can make sure they are on the right flight. Stay at the gate until the plane takes off. This way you know they did get on their way and the flight is not delayed for some unknown problem that is discovered after they are boarded.

Prepare for the Unexpected
Make sure your child has plenty of emergency information, as well as phone numbers and names of people they can contact in case they are unable to reach you. Give them resources such as a credit card in case the worse happens and they need to spend the night somewhere.

Get Information on the Person Picking UP on the Other End
Make sure you have all the information you will need about the person picking up on the other end. Some airlines require driver’s license numbers for the receiving person when you check your child in at the originating airport. Another good tip is to give your child a picture of the person who is picking them up along with their information written on the back. This will help the airlines agent on the other end as well as the child.

Get There Early
Arrive at the airport early so there is no rush or need to hurry for your child. This will assure that you get the arrangement all set up and that your child will not be stressed when they go on to the plane. They will be apprehensive so you want to make sure they don’t get upset by being rushed.

Here are links to information and guidelines for letting your child travel alone. We would love to hear any other tips parents might have. Send them to me at Brenda@theFAMILYmagazine.com.

Kids Fly Alone from Department of Transportation (download the booklet)
http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/pubs.htm

Airline Guidelines

AirTran
http://www.airtran.com/policies/general_information.aspx#Unaccompanied%20Minors

American
http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?p=/travelInformation/specialAssistance/childrenTraveling.jsp&anchorEvent=false

Continental
http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/travel/specialneeds/minors/default.aspx

Delta
http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/special_travel_needs/services_for_children/children_traveling_alone/index.jsp

Jet Blue
http://help.jetblue.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/webisapi.dll?New,Kb=askBlue,case=obj(675)

Northwest
http://www.nwa.com/services/onboard/minor/

Southwest
http://www.southwest.com/travel_center/children.html

United
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,1052,00.html

US Airways
http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/specialneeds/unaccompaniedminors.aspx

Article online from IndependentTraveler.com
http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=203&category=21&page=1

Bus & Train Guidelines

Greyhound
http://www.greyhound.ca/en/travel_information/children.shtml

Amtrak
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1080080555099&ssid=344

Slip in Summer Learning

2009-06-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

School is out and you and your kids are ready for a break from academics. But should you really give your kids the whole summer off from learning?

Today Amy Bevins, Assistant Editor for Washington FAMILY Magazine, was on the Moms Like Me segment on WUSA9 talking about toys and games that Slip in Summer Learning.

Why is it so important for kids to keep learning over the summer?

Amy offers the following thoughts and suggestions:

Research shows that over the summer, kids typically lose 2.6 months of grade equivalency in math and often a month or more in other subject areas.

Summer is a great time to give your kids, and yourself, a break from traditional academics, but you can still reinforce skills in fun ways. A lot of it is how your present it. Make it fun and your kids won’t feel pressured to learn.

Here are a few toys and games that slip learning into a fun package for at home or on the road.

Fractiles are one of Amy’s favorites, because they are so versatile and portable. Fractiles are magnetic pattern blocks whose angles are based on the number 7. You can follow the patterns on the package or website or create your own designs.

Fractiles are wonderful for teaching about symmetry, geometry, spatial relations and pattern matching, which is critical for reading success. Fractiles come in several sizes, from a small travel version all of the way up to ones for the fridge. And, you might even find yourself vying with the kids for a turn with Fractiles. (www.fractiles.com)

When keeping a journal about travels, memories or observations, kids practice handwriting, recall, sequencing and so much more. Notebooks by Eeboo are perfect for collecting summer memories. The Summer Days journal has places for memories of camp, the beach, books read or hanging out in the backyard. The Travel Notebook has places for itineraries, packing lists, mementos and, like all of the notebooks, comes with fold over stationary to send letters along the way. The Nature Notebook has space for your budding naturalist to write observations and draw pictures and comes with glassine envelopes for field specimens. So you can even sneak in a little science and handwriting. Tricky! (www.eeboo.com)

The Brain Game from Discovery Toys is a fast-paced trivia game for the whole family and has categories like geography, history, sports/games and even a no-brainer category. Because it is a game the whole family can play and has this fun electronic brain, kids won’t realize they are learning while they are playing. (www.discoverytoys.com)

What about those pesky math facts? For things like multiplication facts, there really is no way around drill and practice. But is doesn’t have to be boring. Amy’s daughter actually asked to play with Math Whiz and was thrilled when she beat her time on a math challenge. Math Whiz has 8 challenge levels for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for basic facts up to pre-Algebraic concepts. It is great for at home or on the road and can be played individually or head-to–head and even converts into a calculator. (www.learningresources.com)

Slipping in summer learning can be fun and can really pay off in the long run.

For more articles and resources for families visit the Washington FAMILY Magazine web site. www.washingtonFAMILY.com

Father's Day Crafts

2009-06-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

This morning on WUSA 9 News Now, Annette Cooper, managing editor of FAMILY Magazine and Peggy Fox discussed gifts for Father’s Day.
Before we getting started on these great Father’s Day ideas I want to let everyone know that we will be hosting our next Moms Do Lunch event, sponsored by MomsLikeMe.com, Wash FM and FAMILY Magazine on June 11 in Sterling at the Loudoun Gymnastics Center. We will have a light lunch so moms and kids can come, network. We will have a short discussion about choosing a preschool. You can get more information inside the Moms Do Lunch Group on MomsLikeMe.com
With Father’s Day right around the corner children (or moms) everywhere are asking the same question, “What should I get dad?” Special tables are even set up in store entrances geared towards Father’s Day presents. But the perfect Father’s Day gift may not need to be purchased in the store. Sometimes the best gift you can give your dad is something that you make yourself.

I know how hard it can be to find the perfect gift for your dad. I struggle with this every year. Annette told Peggy that when she asked her dad what some of his favorite Father’s Day presents have been it was the ones she made herself. I love to give handmade gifts because they mean more to me and the person I am giving them to. So Annette had a few craft ideas that any child could make for their dad.

Here is what Annette had to say:

Make a card –
This is one of the easiest long lasting gifts you can make for your dad. I like to take an activity that my dad and I enjoy doing together and use it to make my Father’s Day card. One of the things my dad and I like to do is watch baseball or go to baseball games. One of the memories I have from growing up is going to a St. Louis Cardinals game with my family. I’ll never forget the experience. So to honor this memory and many others like it I have designed a card with a baseball theme.

Make a coupon book –
Another fun idea is to make your dad a coupon book. I’ve gone to a local craft store and found a wooden clipboard but you can use anything including just cutting up paper and punching a hole in it and tying it with a ribbon. Then I cut up some cardstock in different colors and wrote a few coupons to my dad, which he can “cash in” whenever he wants. The nice thing about this idea is that you can decorate the wooden clipboard to personalize it and also write some nice things about your dad. This is something he can keep forever. If you didn’t want to do coupons you could write the top ten reasons you love your dad. There are really endless possibilities.

Dou you have a favorite craft for your dad? Is there a gift you have given him in the past that he loved or appreciated? Let us know. We will share them with other moms.

Have a great Monday!

Brenda

Shaken Baby Syndrome

2009-05-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

This morning on the WUSA9 News Now program Annette Cooper; our managing editor and Peggy Fox will be discussing Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Shaken Baby Syndrome has recently touched our Washington FAMILY Magazine family. A former employee is currently dealing with the tragic aftermath of her five-month-old being diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, her baby and her entire family. The following is an exert from an article written by Amy Bevins, our assistant editor. The article will appear in the June issue of Washington FAMILY Magazine.
If you’ve ever been around a crying baby, you know how hard coping and handling the frustration can be.

But what happens when you or another caregiver SNAPS? Gives in to the overwhelming emotion and lashes out – shaking the baby to stop the crying.

Shaken Baby Syndrome, or SBS, impacts thousands of children and families each year. SBS usually occurs when a young child (primarily 0-2 years, but seen in children up to 5) is violently shaken back and forth and/or slammed into a soft or hard surface. Crying is the number one trigger for SBS, but feeding and toileting difficulties are also frequent triggers.

A baby has a disproportionately large head and a weak neck. When shaken, the fragile brain slams back and forth, tearing blood vessels and brain tissue and often causing retinal hemorrhaging. The bleeding and subsequent brain swelling commonly causes further brain damage.

According to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (www.dontshake.org), common symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome include:
Lethargy/decreased muscle tone
Extreme irritability
Decreased appetite, poor feeding or vomiting for no apparent reason
Grab-type bruises on arms or chest are rare
No smiling or vocalization
Poor sucking or swallowing
Rigidity or posturing
Difficulty breathing
Seizures
Head or forehead appears larger than usual or soft-spot on head appears to be bulging
Inability to lift head
Inability of eyes to focus or track movement or unequal size of pupils

Immediate medical attention is critical to helping a child survive a violent shaking.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is preventable.
Providing caregivers with skills to cope with crying babies is essential to preventing SBS. According to The Shaken Baby Alliance (www.shakenbaby.org), “Babies cry to communicate, and most babies cry several hours each day. It is the caregiver’s job to learn how to cope with a crying baby, not make the baby stop crying.”
The Shaken Baby Alliance offers the following tips for how to cope with a crying baby:
Check to see that the baby’s basic needs (food, diapering, appropriate clothing, burping, etc.) are met.
Offer the baby a pacifier.
Take the baby for a ride in a stroller or car.
Call a friend, relative, or neighbor.
If a baby’s crying becomes intolerable, put the baby in a safe place such a crib, swing, or car seat and get yourself away from the baby. Take a break, cool down, and remember that it is the baby’s job to cry. It is your job to cope with this crying. Children are not injured by crying, but they can be severely injured or even killed by a caregiver who becomes frustrated and takes this frustration out on the child.
Shaken Baby Syndrome is a preventable, serious, abusive trauma in which 25% to 35% of victims die and a significant percentage of the survivors have lifelong disabilities. The best prevention of SBS is education of caregivers.
So the next time your baby has you at your wits end with non-stop howling, close your eyes, take a deep breath – and do your job. Your baby certainly is.

Shaken Baby Syndrome has recently touched our Washington FAMILY Magazine family. A former employee is currently dealing with the tragic aftermath of her five-month-old being diagnosed with Shaken Baby Syndrome. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, her baby and her entire family.
To learn more, please visit NoahsRoad.com

Helpful Resources:
The Shaken Baby Alliance (shakenbaby.org)
The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (dontshake.org)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/shakenbaby/shakenbaby.htm)
Please if you know someone who can benefit from this information, please pass it along.
Brenda

Blogging Mothers

2009-05-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

This morning on the WUSA9 News Now show, Liz McConville, the Resource Editor for Washington FAMILY Magazine along with Janine Nickel, a blogger on the Washington FAMILY Magazine web site visited with Peggy Fox about mom bloggers. The number of moms who are online and blogging has really exploded in recent months.
If you search for the word “blog” in Google’s search engine you will find 361,000,000 results, and if you type in “mom blog” the results total 23,600,000. People are creating blogs daily for a variety of reasons but one thing remains the same, a blog is a place where someone posts information for others to read about. Bloggers are creating a space for themselves on the internet that they control where they can say whatever is on their mind.
According to Technorati.com, 83% of all global female bloggers had personal blogs and 91% of female bloggers were over the age of 25. Women were more likely to use blogs as a way to stay connected to others, whether it be to update family and friends about their lives or to seek out like minded people. Women wrote conversationally about topics that others could relate to.
A blog is short for the term weblog, which is a web site that contains personal entries. Blogs are maintained regularly and are similar to an online journal. Past entries are kept in an archive and the most recent post appears at the top of the page. People can post comments on entries.
Blogs have become popular because they are a place where moms can vent, rave and chronicle their lives. Subjects can cover a range of topics from kids to marriage to the daily routines of life. There are topics that range from diapers, personal reviews, and reflections on what’s happening in the news. No topic is off limits since blogs are solely dependent on the person who posts them.
Blogs are a great place for moms to relate to each other. Someone can read a post on a blog about the difficulty of potty training and feel that there is someone out there that is going through something similar to what they are. A mom can find answers to questions that they had been looking for. Sometimes it helps to know that you aren’t alone.
Here are a few local bloggers you might want to know:
The MomTini Loungehttp://momtinilounge.com/
The MomTini Lounge is a blog about “the business of motherhood.” Regular posts about kids and home -- parenting, childcare, teens, chores, online safety, and more. A “go-to” for the “how-to” of being a productive, organized mom. She wants to make the site user-friendly and a place where moms can come to relax, chat and get information that they need.
A Parent in Silver Springwww.aparentinsilverspring.com
Aimed at the Washington DC area, the Silver Spring area in particular, this blog focuses on places to go and what’s going on in the area. Jessica McFadden’s goal “is to provide a fun, free and accessible resource for Washington families, especially those good citizens of Silver Spring, Maryland.”
Two for the Price of Onehttp://twoferthepriceofone.blogspot.com/
After finding her college application essay in 2007, Janine Nickel felt inspired to begin writing again and after having twins she realized that she had enough material to start her own blog. Where she’s going with this blog: “My goal for this blog is to record my life, entertain those reading it, and when applicable, inform.” DC Metro Moms Blog www.svmomblog.typepad.com/dc_metro_moms/
A blog that follows a group of moms in DC area as they write about their lives living in the Nation’s Capital. It changes all the time and you don’t necessarily get the same blogger each time you go to the site.
http://washingtonfamilymagazine.blogspot.com/
This is the blog for FAMILY Magazine. I talk about what is going on in the Washington area and topics of interest from the magazine and from the social networking site DC.MomsLikeMe.com. I also talk about the MEET UPS that are going on in the area for our Moms Do Lunch™ events.
Terms you might want to know:
Twitter: A free social messaging system that connects people with the simple phrase of “What are you doing?” The message can only be a maximum of 140 characters. It is a place where people can find out what someone is doing at a moment’s notice.
Blogosphere: referring to the world of blogs
Blogger: Someone who blogs regularly
Vlog: Short for a video blog or a blog that contains videos
Discussion Thread: Consisting of messages posted within a specific topic of an online discussion and are usually listed with the most current post at the top.
Message Board: an online discussion site or internet forum
If you haven’t been following any of the mom blogs that are out there, you might want to check them out. Or, you might even want to start your own. Here at FAMILY Magazine we have several mom bloggers that we follow. If you think your blog might be of interest to the moms who visit our site, let me know. We are always looking for local mom connections.
Have a great Monday and Happy Parenting!
Brenda

Mother's Day Survey Results

2009-05-04T06:08:00.000-07:00

Becoming a mother is a transforming experience. And, although you may think you know what it is going to be like, it never turns out that way.

Washington FAMILY Magazine surveyed the mothers on the WUSA9 Moms Like Me web site for their thoughts and opinions about motherhood. Some of the results were amusing but they were all very informative.

This week on WUSA9 News Now we discussed the results of our survey of moms.

We asked moms some questions about motherhood because we wanted to see what moms thought about being a mother and then to also ask them what their perfect gift was for the upcoming Mother’s Day. I think you will find the results very interesting. We are working on posting as many of the comments on our web site as we can.

Comments

What is the most important part of motherhood?
Robin, a mom from DC told us that she felt the most important part of motherhood was to provide our children with opportunities to learn, have fun and to help them experience the world around them. Those are wonderful comments.

Other moms said:
--Enjoying the precious moments
--Loving each child as a unique individual
--Developing a strong bond between mother and child
--Instilling strong family values
--Giving unconditional love
--Balancing life

What is the hardest part of motherhood?
One mom, Lauren said the hardest part was keeping up your energy and stamina so she could give her all to her baby. Those first months are very difficult.

Some other moms told us the hardest was --
--Making the most of the time you have with your children
--Enjoying the moment while your job is very important
--Being in charge all the time
--Becoming selfless
--Saying no and tough love
--Not feeling guilt because I am a working mom
--Motherhood is hard but the rewards are great
--Finding time for me
--Learning to be patient

What makes you feel appreciated? (I feel appreciated as a mother when . . . )
Most of our moms told us the same thing. They feel appreciate when their children give them hugs, smiles and say thank you. One mom said, “I feel appreciated when they tuck me in at night instead of the other way around.”

Things that made mom feel appreciated were:
--Hugs and kisses
--Thank you or notes of thanks
--Chores or actions done before I ask (several said this)
--Having the kids run and hug me when I pick them up

What have you learned from being a mother that you didn’t expect?
I think Lauren put it best on this one. You are never “off.” You are always on duty or on call. That never changes no matter what the age of your children.

Kirstin also has some wonderful words. “I have a brand new relationship with my own mother. I see her in a totally different light and now see all the sacrifices she made for me---without ever expecting a thank you or even a bit of recognition. It is comforting to know that someone has the same strong feelings for me that I have for my own children.”

Tina told us this, “My actions shine through in my children. The way you communicate with the world and your child shows itself through our child when they start communicating and you realize they are a mini-me of you. Reflection of my childhood, my parents, understanding that life isn't about you, but what you give back to it. Becoming a better person and understanding people. Becoming your own mother!”

Other moms shared these thoughts:
--Kids are amazing and seeing life through their eyes is amazing
--Patience is an important part of motherhood and hard to develop
--You learn from the good times and the hard times
--You need to think like a child instead of an adult
--Family plays an important part in a child’s life
--I can get by with just a few hours of sleep
--How incredibly bonding child rearing is for marriage and extended family
--Letting go is difficult but important
--I can’t do it all

What was your mother right about? (and you thought she was wrong)
WOW, this one was a great question and we had some wonderful comments. Kami told us her mom was right about everything and she could not believe that she was such a know it all when she was growing up.

It is amazing when you have your own children you even sometimes hear your mother speaking through your own words. Many of the moms told us they appreciate their own mothers much more now that they have children.

Other moms told us their mom was right about –
--Everything (and it is so annoying)
--Be nice to your siblings. They will be your best friends later in life.
--Two is enough (her mom had 3 kids)
--Mom was right about everything and I did not realize it
--Time go quickly
--What goes around comes around

What’s the perfect Mother’s Day gift for you?
Moms out there are not looking for gifts or even flowers. There was a serious common thread. They all want relaxed enjoyable time with their husband and children with memories they could cherish. Many said they wanted a day with no decisions and no responsibilities.

The second best gift was a spa treatment. I think they all want that “time off” that they never get.

Here are the things our moms want for Mother’s Day:
--Spa package
--Massage, facial, manicure and pedicure
--Hot tub and a massage
--Husband cooking dinner
--Let me sleep in while husband gets the kids up and fed
--Dinner out with or without a babysitter
--A relaxed day with no stress
--Hand written cards from the kids
--Photos of the kids for purse or office
--Memories to cherish

Tina said something that I thought was just wonderful and very touching. She said, “Having children is like opening a xmas or birthday gift every day! It's that much joy!

That was a wonderful thought.

Thanks to all the moms who shared their thoughts and feelings. One mom, Monika said that it was a fun exercise and really made her think about being a parent. I never thought it that way.

Maybe it is good every once in a while to stand back and think about our job as a mother, the impact we have on the world and the joys we are receiving.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Our first Moms event is going to be on May 8 at the Rio Grande restaurant in Reston, Virginia. MomsLike Me, WFM and WASH FM radio will be hosting a special happy hour for moms. This will be an opportunity for all the moms who have been networking on the MLM site to get together and meet. We will have food and prizes as well as get to know each other.

It happens to be my birthday and several other moms as well so it will be a fun celebration. AND, we will be giving away that Spa Treatment that all the moms say they are looking for.

Go to the WFM web site and click on WEB EXTRAS. All the information will be there for the event as well as 2 other lunchtime events that will be taking place during May.

Until then, Happy Parenting!

And, Happy Mother’s Day!

Brenda

Fun in Bethesda at Celebrate Mama!

2009-05-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

On Saturday FAMILY Magazine was fortunate to be a part of a terrific street festival in Bethesda, Maryland called Celebrate Mama!

They closed down the street at Woodmont Avenue and Bethesda Avenue. It was so perfect for families to walk down the street and enjoy the exhibitors and the entertainment.

It was a great event and super fun. Our area was set up with our popular shaving cream (science experiment) craft. If you haven’t done this with us at an event – you can find the instructions on our site – click here. This activity is at the very bottom of the list. Lots of kids and their parents stopped by to enjoy this really cool craft.

There were exhibitors at the event from all over the region. Several mom web sites were also exhibitors. And, there were even some retailers who sell online. It was great fun just to walk around and see all the resources available to moms and dads.

Of course, there were freebies as well. At our booth we had first aid kits from MomsLikeMe.com that went really fast. When ours were gone, we sent parents over to the Holy Cross Hospital tent for more.

Thanks to all the parents who came by and told us how much they like reading our magazine. We sincerely appreciate all your comments. It is great to meet our readers face to face. It was surprising how many dads we met that were at the event with their kids.

If you want to hear some more comments about the event, Jessica McFadden’s blog http://www.aparentinsilverspring.com has some great write ups and she also has links to all the exhibitors who were at Celebrate Mama! Here is the link to her comments. http://www.aparentinsilverspring.com/2009/05/celebrate-mama-round-up.html

Do you have any events or fairs you have attended lately that you would like to share with us? We would love to hear what parents in the Washington region have been doing for fun. And, please share your pictures with us.

Happy Sunday and Happy Parenting,
Brenda