Recycling Greeting Cards

Throughout the year it is easy for greeting cards to pile up in a junk drawer. From birthday, holiday, to special occasion, greeting cards are endless. Instead of throwing them away, how about supporting a good cause and making a difference in a child's life. Send them to St. Jude's Ranch where children will use your old cards to make new ones. These children actually make new cards by removing the front and attaching a new back.

This is an activity you can even get your children involved with and they will know that they are making a difference in another child's life! A friend introduced me to the idea several years ago and I've been doing it every since. For more information visit: http://stjudesranch.org/help_card.php

Cards may be donated by sending them to:

St. Jude's Ranch for Children
100 St. Jude's Street

Boulder City, NV 89005-1618

Attn: Recycled Cards

Stepping Up Your Workout

Did you know that after a year of giving birth, 26% of women still carry 10 lbs of baby weight? Experts say that in addition to cutting calories, improving your fitness routine is vital to keeping off the extra baby weight. Please keep in mind that if you are nursing do not cut calories. Your body still needs about an extra 300 calories a day.

Here are some ideas on how an hour of activity can step up your "workout". Who said it had to be boring!

• Bike Riding 441 Calories


• Dancing 370 Calories


• Gardening 324 Calories


• Brisk Walking 297 Calories


• Light Cleaning 240 Calories


• Playing With Kids 216 Calories


• Strolling 206 Calories

For more information on activities and calorie counts go to www.americanbaby.com

A Guide To Playgrounds

Traveling this summer? I found this awesome website www.kaboom.org. It's a great resource to go to to find a play space or playground when vacationing or traveling with children. All you need to do is enter the city and state or the zip code into the search box and an interactive map appears.

When my family travels to Bar Harbor this summer, I've already located parks to take my daughter to. This is a tool that I will definitely use regularly this summer!

Setting A Good Financial Example

Today as women, we are more involved than ever in the financial decision making of our household. A recent study by Women & Co found that 63% of women are the CFO of their household. Therefore the impact that we will have on our children's future financial decision making is enormous. We can choose, as mother's, to have a positive or negative impact on our next generation. Here are some tips to setting a good financial example for your children.

1. Talk To Your Children About Money. Money really needs to be an open and ongoing topic with your children. Opening up the dialog, gives them the opportunity to ask questions and learn about smart financial guidelines.
2. Get Financially Fit. Get a piggy bank and create opportunities in which your children can "work" for money. Such as payments for tasks outside the household routine.
3. Practice What You Preach. The financial decisions you make will have an impact on your children. If you are responsible with your finances than your children will model it.
4. Create A Common Goal. Get your kids involved in the family financial planning early by creating a family fund that will be put toward a goal everyone agrees on. That could be a vacation, a gift, or a charity that all the family members would like to support.
5. Know Why Money Matters. Finding a balance between your family's finances and your family life. The finances should support the family life, not control it.

How To Make Play Doh

Ingrediants:

2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Salt
2 Tablespoon Oil
2 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
Food Coloring

Directions:

Combine all ingrediants in a heavy 2-quart pot and stir over medium heat until the misxture sticks together in a ball. Let cool. Place in an airtight container. Lasts for several months.

Yummy Apple Flaps

Here is a healthy and tasty breakfast your whole family will enjoy. My 15 month old loves eating apple flaps and they are so easy to make! I cut the them into little pieces and she just gobbles them up. You can make a couple apple flaps and store the remaining batter in the refrigerator for the next couple of days.

Depending on their age, this is a great opportunity for older children to help with stirring or dividing the ingredients. Here is the recipe…let me know how much your family enjoys them!

1 ½ c. Flour (I use wheat flour)
2 T. Sugar
1 T. Baking Powder
¼ tsp. Salt
2 Eggs, beaten
¾ c. Milk
2 T. Melted Butter
1 c. Applesauce

Mix the first 4 ingredients together. Combine eggs, milk, butter, and applesauce. Stir into flour mixture until just moistened. Cook on hot griddle or pan, just like you would with pancakes.

Making Your Own Play Kitchen!

My daughter Alexis isn’t old enough yet, but when she is I would like to make a play kitchen for her. I found this idea originally from a crafting blog, but have thought about the idea myself in the past.

It is a play stove top made from a plastic box and swirls made with construction paper. You can keep all the kitchen toys in the box and take them out to cook. It's a brilliant space saver idea! You can find detailed information at croqzine.com/blog/?p=906.

Free Printable Activities

Are you looking for FREE lesson plans or printable activities, especially themed ones? Well take a look at http://www.first-school.ws/. Here you will find free preschool lesson plans, educational early childhood activities, printable crafts, and other resources for children ages 18 months through 6 years of age. It’s a great resource for parents who home school, childcare providers, babysitters, and parents! First School gives instructions for each activity, templates to choose from, gives age suggestions for activities, and lists materials needed for each activity. Could it get more simple or convenient? Hours of fun and learning for children of several ages!

Banana Muffins

Do you have a picky eater? Here is a quick, easy, and healthy banana muffin recipe, your toddler is sure to love! This recipe yields 12 muffins, but I double the ingredients to make 2 batches. These muffins also freeze very well. Older children can help with the measuring and mixing...great for a rainy day activity. My daughter loves these muffins...let me know how your family likes them!

Ingredients:

2 bananas

1 egg

3/4 cup sugar (or 3/4 teaspoon Stevia)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking power

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Process the bananas in a blender to make a puree. Combine the banana puree, egg, sugar, and olive oil; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until moistened. Spoon the batter into muffin cups (I spray Pam into the cups to prevent the muffins from sticking). Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Some Creative And Useful Tips

What to do with those old winter gloves…Make animal puppets by cutting off the fingers!

If your kids get sick of their toys, divide them into big plastic containers, and each week, bring out a different one. It’s like they are getting new toys!

Summer will be here before we know it. When you are at the beach, make sure to bring baby powder. It’s the best way to get rid of sand!

What to do with those old baby clothes hangers. Here are 4 ways to recycle them!

Make wings for dress-up:
Align two hangers hooks to form an oval and tape them together. Cut some ribbon and tie around the tiny hooks inside each hanger (this is so your child can put them around their shoulder). Than cut paper or fabric and attach to hanger.

Ribbon Organizer:
Snip off a piece of hanger right above one corner. Than just slip the ribbon spools onto the hanger, tape back together and it hang wherever you want to.

Bubble Wand:
Pour bubble solution into a nice big baking dish and have a blast!

Barrette Holder:
Tie some ribbon onto the bottom of the hanger and snap the barrettes on the ribbon.

Being A Storyteller

Even though my daughter is only 14 months, she loves it when I create a story that's not in one of her books. Here are some guidelines that I tend to follow when I tell her stories.

1. 
   
   Start with a fun lead character. Someone that is familiar like your child, a pet, or an animal.


2. 
   
   Take the time of day into account. Bedtime stories should be soothing...save the action stories for during the day.


3. 
   
   Tailor the tale to your child's interests. Create a story around what you child enjoys. If he is into trucks, have the lead character be a truck driver.


4. 
   
   Work in suggestions (great for older children). Ask your child for their input. They'll love it when their ideas come to life!


5. 
   
   Vary your tone. Be upset when there is a sad part and speed up to convey action. Add funny sounds to make the story more exciting. Even young babies can distinguish the tone of your.


6. 
   
   Choose the perfect ending. If you finish the story with a cliffhanger, your child will anticipate the next story time.