Visit a Children's Museum

We were able to travel to a different children's museum yesterday in St. Petersburg called Great Explorations. As part of our membership at our local children's museum, we were able to get in free. What a deal, since ours is much less expensive.

Children's museums are great for preschoolers to be able to safely and freely explore a variety of exhibits, role playing, and interactive areas. The one we were in yesterday had a fire station, vet, healthy kids section with a great row boat (that was on a green screen so they could see themselves on tv), and a dinosaur exhibit. They even had a nice toddler area for our little one.

If you do not have a children's museum in your area, check surrounding cities to see if any are within a days drive. We drove almost 2 hours yesterday for Great Explorations. Since it was within our membership cost we have already paid, it was affordable to take the drive. Plus, we did some shopping later and made the trip really worth while! If you are going on a vacation, check those cities. It is worth the time to have a fun, exciting place geared just for children, especially during a busy vacation.

Also remember to check out the membership fees. If it is close by, or you can go multiple days, it may be worth spending a little more up front. And with reciprocal memberships in some states, you can make it a tour of the museums. That is what we are doing this spring!

Raising a Spirited Child

I got this book today and started reading it today. It so describes my challenging child, especially this week. My husband and I went to the book store for a willful child book. We saw this one, like the title, and bought it. The first chapter so describes my son... intense, focused, and on and on and on.

I have not got to the part where the author tells me what to do, but I am eagerly awaiting that chapter. I will let you know.

Toddler Translations

My daughter, who is 2 1/2, and I were talking in the car this morning. I told her that her teacher would be having her baby soon and she would have another teacher soon. She said "baby?" I said, "Yes, there is a baby in her tummy. His name will be Cooper." My daughter said to me, "NO, not pooper!" How true that is of little babies! :)

Family Dinner Time

Family Time at Dinner Time

These days, many families struggle to find time when they can all be together. Sometimes it's because both parents work long hours and sometimes it's because of the kids' many extracurricular activities.

Some nights are going to be crazy busy and you each just have to eat when you can. Other times your family can shift things around to make time for a family meal. Dinner together as a family has never been so important. Why? Here are some reasons:

Eating meals together increases enjoyment of the meal. Food tastes so much better when you're eating with someone else, don't you think? You might say that when you eat together your food is well-seasoned with love or friendship.

Eating altogether encourages communication and strengthens family bonds. With hectic schedules, families don't spend as much time together. Slowing down and sharing a meal gives everyone a chance to catch up with the day's events. You get to find out just how each family member is doing. Call it a daily family check-up.

Younger children love having routines. Sharing meals together with the whole family is a positive event in their young lives and they look forward to it. Don't have them share their meal with the TV. The TV is not a dinner partner, and certainly not family.

Family dinner conversation helps children's vocabularies to grow. When kids listen to their parents or older siblings speak, they learn new words. They will ask what the words mean or figure out the "gist of it", but either way, they are more likely to understand and use more words because of older people conversing with them.

The dinner table is where children learn social skills. Table manners are not something learned from a book, they're learned by practicing them. Kids learn them from their parents - when eating with them. The art of dinner conversation is also a skill they learn from parents at the dinner table. Another plus of dinner conversation is that kids often get to learn about their family history.

Eating traditional foods as a family strengthens a family's ethnic background. Having meals traditional to their heritage helps children to identify and bond with their heritage.

Kids eat healthier at the family dinner table. Kids who eat without their parents tend to eat fewer of the desired foods and more of the less-desired foods. This is particularly true of teenagers who eat more junk food or fast food when by themselves or with friends. When kids eat with their parents, the parents usually provide healthier meals and can keep an eye on what their kids are eating.

Even though it's not always easy to gather together as a family for a meal, it's worth the extra effort. Eating dinner (or any meal) together is a time for nourishment as well as a time for strengthening bonds. After all, family time is treasured time.

Peggy is the editor of the popular Cookin' Kids Newsletter. Interesting themes, fun facts, silly clip art, easy recipes, kid jokes, cooking terms, and safety tips make this newsletter a hit with kids! Learn more about it at http://cookinkids.com

A Friendly Lizard

My husband and my son caught a lizard today. I would not have been part of that fun since I am not a big lizard fan. My son has been spending the afternoons with his frog and lizard loving cousin, so he has learned from her how to pick them up gently. Daddy and my son had lots of fun with this one as it crawled all over. EWWWWW! I am glad I was not here to stifle that curiously with my screams and shrieks!

Your Favorite Ritual with Your Child

As parents, we often get in habits of rituals for so many different things, from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed. Tell me your favorite ritual with your child, whether it is your preschooler or one that has left the nest. We would love for you to share these memories and ideas with us!

You can comment on this blog (leave me an email so I can let you know if you have one) or link from your blog and leave the url in the comment section. The best ritual will be selected by me and will receive a book selected by me from Barefoot Books.

Thanks for sharing!

Staying Home And Lovin' It

My friend Betsy is a stay at home mom. I am very jealous. Last year, Betsy and I got to do play group together once a week and our two girls got together frequently during the week. Not to mention, Betsy and I are two of the Smart Moms, so we would discuss business ideas for hours some days. We were able to see each other a lot, and now, with her new baby on the way and my work day schedule, we just don't get to see each other enough.

Betsy does a lot of neat things with her 2 year old. She takes pictures to chronicle all the events. If you are looking for some great ideas to do with your two year old, check out her blog. Of course, many ideas are country type ideas, not for the city folks, but some ideas can be adapted for those that live in more populated areas.

And I cannot wait until summer when we can have some time together again.