Friday Favorites

Kid's love books. I love books. In fact, in what's left of my spare time you can usually find me reading a book...and guess what, it's usually a kids' book or a young adult book (I like to preview them for my older kids.) Today, I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite children's authors with you.


Tedd Arnold - He is both author and illustrator for his books. This particular book is one of my favorites of his. Love the rhyming and repetition, and of course the illustrations are great. My kids also like his books about Huggly (the little green monster.) Admittedly, I have not read all of his books, but my kids and I have both enjoyed the ones that we have read.

Audrey Wood - Kenny's grandma introduced us to these books and she has been one of my favorite children's authors since. She and her husband work together...she writes, he illustrates. Some of her books are funny. Some are serious. Some teach lessons. Elbert's Bad Word is one of my favorites...but King Bidgood's In the Bathtub is right up there too.

Doreen Cronin - I don't know if my kids have enjoyed these books as much as i have, but I think these are hilarious. I love the duck!

Robert Munsch - This post wouldn't be complete without mentioning Robert Munsch. Thomas' Snowsuit is one of my all-time favorites (I laugh just thinking about it,) but there are so many more good ones...The Paper Bag Princess (I had this book when I was a kid!) Love You Forever, Makeup Mess...to mention a few.

So there ya go...plenty of books to keep you and your kids entertained for a few days! Take a trip to the local library and check something out. You won't be disappointed!

Friday Favorites

When I was a little kid I used to listen to music as I went to sleep. I listened to the "Let's Sing Together" cassette tape (I'm getting old) every night for a long time. It got to the point where I could sing every song in the right order with all of the different voices. Funny enough, I can still remember many of the songs, the order, and the voices today...even funnier, Kenny used to listen to the same cassette and he can do the same thing. (I guess that means we were meant for each other!) My beloved cassette tape lasted through my first child (who I must say, loved it too) but then some mischevious little hands destroyed it. Since that fateful day I've searched high and low for something even comparable to my "Let's Sing Together" music...something fun, something churchy (so we can listen to it on Sunday), and something that the kids actually want to listen to. I've finally found it (well, technically I found it about a year ago) and because it is "Let's Sing Together" good, it goes on my favorite's list!

I guess times have changed. The kids would probably make fun of my favorite tape (if they could even figure out how to use it) but they LOVE to listen to these CD's. There was a point in time that Rylen would ask for them to be turned on every time we got into the car. I suppose you could say this is my "Let's Sing Together" tape made current! The kids' favorites include the Snowman Song and Peanut Butter and Jelly. Anyhow, if you don't have these already, put them on your list. The kids will love them!

Monday Mom-blings

Chores.

I have mine. Kenny has his. The kids have theirs. Everyone does their job. The home runs smoothly. Everyone is happy. Isn't that how it's suppose to work???

At our house, it's like pulling teeth to get the kids to do their chores. I'm sure that's not very different from every home in America, but I wonder how you balance the whole work/responsibility thing with the "they're kids, let them have fun" thing. Ive read a ton of the parenting books, but what works in theory is a lot different from what works in reality. I've come to the conclusion that either I'm a really mean mom (this is what my kids would vote for) or else I just expect to much from my kids.

Here's the deal, my kids have both daily chores and weekly chores. Daily chores include straightening up their bedrooms and doing a quick clean of one of the rooms in the house (ie. pick up towels in the bathroom, put away toys/blankets/whatever in the living room, do the dishes and sweep the floor.) Weekly jobs include doing a deep clean of the bedroom and one of the rooms in the house (bathroom, living room, kitchen.) Literally all their work could be done in less than 30 minutes. Add on homework for 30 minutes after school and the kids could be out the door, playing with their friends an hour after they're home from school. Weekly jobs take a little longer...maybe 30 - 45 min. each (just to ensure that a good job is done.) This is how it's supposed to be. This is how it really is...On a daily basis, the kids come home from school, mess around for however long they can get away with it, pretend to do their jobs for as long as think it should take them, do the minimal requirements of their homework and ask to go play with friends. Now, I'm not dumb...it just takes one look at the various rooms of the house to know that nothing was done, so I then get upset and make them do it again. Of course by the time everything is REALLY done, the time frame to go out and play with friends is also done and that's when the weeping,wailing, and gnashing of teeth starts. Saturday is pretty much the same...just on a grander scale. The thing is...with minimal effort, I could do all of their jobs while they're at school...and I do occasionally, but I've found that if I do their work for them, instead of being appreciative of a nice act performed on their behalf, they come to expect that it should be done for them or they think that it's my job anyhow so it's not a big deal. Plus they're not learning any of those important life lessons that are learned just by having to do chores (ie. families that work together, stay together sort of thing, work ethic, responsibility, consequences, etc.) There is a delicate balance. As a mom it's my job to teach them how to work, be responsible and prepare them for life, so quite often I have to take the tough stand, but I also want them to have the opportunity to be kids and have fun.

So...what happens at your house? How do you get your kids to do their chores? How do you balance responsibility and fun and how do you stay happy and sane amidst it all? Do tell.....

Thursday...Things To Do

So, you would think this post might be about a romantic restaurant or date idea for the big day, but you couldn't be more wrong! (haha) My suggestion this week is for a family activity.

One of my family's favorite activities (especially the younger ones) is Kangaroo Zoo. It is a "...unique indoor active play and celebration environment which caters to the needs of children and parents alike..." (Their description.) Basically it's a big building full of those big blow-up jump houses where the kids can run wild for hours on end and get really, really, really tired!!! (my description...I think mine's better, don't you??)

The kids go in looking like this (well not exactly):

They do a little bit of this:

and come out looking like this:

How can you beat that? The kids have fun and get all tired out, leaving (what could turn out to be) a nice quiet...dare I say, romantic, evening for mom and dad. (Hey, who needs a babysitter...just tire out the kids, put them to bed, and let your Valentine's night begin.)

*Just a quick note: Kangaroo Zoo is open Monday thru Saturday from 10am-8pm (approx). Once you're in, you can stay as long as you like so it's a pretty good value. Cost is between $5 and $8 and there is no charge for watching.

Sorry to anyone not in our area. Better luck next time, but I'm sure there is something similar in your area. Now go out, have fun with the kids...and then have fun with your valentine!