by Stacey Schifferdecker
This young lady is in the Christmas spirit
I remember watching a Sesame Street Christmas special a few years ago when Elmo wishes it could be Christmas every day. Of course, he soon realizes that Christmas every day really wouldn't be a good idea: people need to work, sing other songs, celebrate other holidays, and generally have a break from the whirlwind that Christmas often becomes. But how about the Christmas spirit - the love, kindness, and generosity we often find overflowing at Christmas? Can we help keep that Christmas spirit alive for our children all year long? Absolutely! And it may be easier than you think. The key is to model the Christmas spirit to our children every day in our own behavior.
Practice kindness
I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.
William Penn
Kindness is easy to practice all year long. If you have a big cart of groceries, let the person with just a few items go ahead of you. Hold a door open for the people behind you. Speak politely to everyone and refrain from gossip. READ More on Christmas Every Day
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Adopt a Family - Gift left secretly for a family in need
by Stephanie Partridge
As a single mom raising three kids on her own, our Christmases were sometimes a little scant. But while we did not have much by way of money or material goods, we had loads of love. We still do. We, the kids and I, have always felt rich, fortunate. My daughter always says, "We don't have much, but we have everything." And it is that philosophy that led us to a very special project a few years ago that became a Christmas tradition for our family.
One year, several years ago, we learned of a family who would not have much for Christmas. Both parents had been laid off and they were struggling just to put food on the table. They had two young children and it bothered my kids that these little ones would not have any Christmas presents.
Now, you have to realize here that I have three of the most tender hearts in the world residing within my children. They became aware of the situation and they began worrying about the family. They worried about how the parents felt because they couldn't give their children a Christmas. They worried about the children because they wouldn't understand why Santa did not visit them.
So they put their heads together and came up with a solution. They wanted to "adopt" the family. READ More on Adopt a Family for Christmas
Advent Wreath
by Stacey Schifferdecker
The month before Christmas has got to be the longest time of year for kids! Not renowned for their patience anyway, kids have to wait and wait for the big day. It doesn't help that Christmas decorations go on sale in September now and that radio stations begin playing Christmas songs on Halloween. Help you kids make it through the long days of December by celebrating Advent. Even better, Advent also helps you keep the focus of Christmas on Jesus rather than Santa Claus, presents, and other commercial aspects of Christmas.
Advent is a Latin word that actually means "coming." In the Christian church, advent is time of preparation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. Advent officially begins four Sundays before Christmas, which means it often begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
So how can you celebrate Advent? One way is to buy or make an Advent wreath to lay on your table. An Advent wreath typically consists of greenery with four candles, three purple and one pink. Each candle has a specific meaning: READ More on Celebrating Advent with Children
Boo! Hosting a spoo-tacular Halloween Party
It is that time of year! Fall leaves are blanketing the ground, pumpkins can be seen on most porches, stores are stocked with spooky costumes and more candy then any youngster could imagine. That's right; Halloween is just around the corner. This means fall parties at school and costume parties at home. Every little kid dreams of turning their house into the spookiest house on the block and having all their friends over for scary games and a huge junk food fest. If you are feeling brave and want to host the best Halloween party but aren't sure of where to start read on.
The first thing to consider is the age of your children and their friends. The party games and themes are going to be different for older children, scary blood and gore really doesn't have a place at a party for 5 year olds. Then you are going to need to think about how many guests you are going to have your child invite, and for the younger kids you need to think about whether you want their parent(s) to stay with them.
You can buy invitations for your party, or you can get creative on the computer and create your own and then let your child color the invites. Remember this is their party, so letting them color with markers and glitter can be a lot of fun… and for the older kids stopping at WalMart and hitting the Halloween aisles where they can find fake blood, cob webs and other gross items they can even have fun making the invites. I recommend that on the invitation you put a start and end time this will help eliminate any confusion about how long the children are welcome to stay. READ More on Hosting the most Spoo-tacular Halloween Party!
Halloween Fun
If you have a child that is anything like my son then I am sure you have heard your fair share of corny jokes. If your child is anything like my son, then when you laugh and say you've heard that one before… chances are greater than not that your child is going to try to create their own joke just so you will laugh and they will know that it isn't a joke you have heard before.
I decided that for Halloween, maybe a better treat then candy… would be a few new jokes. I have scoured the internet looking for only the best kid friendly jokes for Halloween. Share them with your kids… or even other parents to make the spookiest of all holidays a little funny for all the pranksters out there.
Joke 1: Why didn't the skeleton dance at the party?
Because he didn't have any body to dance with.
Joke 2: Why did the baker stop making donuts?
He got bored with the whole business.
Joke 3: What room does a ghost not need?
A living room. READ More on Halloween Jokes and Songs for Everyone
From all of us here at More4kids, Happy 4th of July. The Fourth of July celebrates the birth of the United States of America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America is celebrating its 232nd birthday this year (2008).
It is a time for families and friends not only to come together and have fun, but also a time to honor our Veterans and men and women who are putting their lives in danger every day for us, and those who have made the biggest sacrifice for our freedom with their lives. Try to throw your politics aside, and let us all take a moment to think about, and be grateful to all who wear the American uniform, and to our police and firefighters who protect us day in and out. They all deserve our recognition and thanx, more than we can put in words. And don't forget the spouses and families of those in uniform. It takes very special people to be part of a military family, and our hearts, thanx, and recognition should go out to them too.
No matter whether you travel across the country to celebrate our nation’s birthday, or decide to stay at home in your own backyard, there are many different ways to make this a very special holiday.
All that is needed for a fantastic Fourth are three key ingredients:
1. A Plan
2. Preparation
3. and much, much Enthusiasm.
We’ll provide the plan to get you started!
Ready? Set?
Not lets get the ball on the road and get going!
READ More on Fourth of July Festivities for the Entire Family
Filed under Activities, Family, Holidays by More4kids
by Stephanie Partridge
The moment I heard my daughter's voice on the other side of my bedroom door, I knew something was wrong. She knocked, waking me. I looked at the clock: 12 am. “Mom,” She said, “I need to talk to you.” Her voice was strained, tight. I could tell that she was struggling to keep it together. Something was wrong. I was out of bed in a heartbeat.
“What's up?” I asked as I opened the door. Her face did not reveal much, but I could see she was upset. Her trembling hand matched her trembling voice as she thrust a cell phone at me.
“Look.” She said.
It took me a moment to process what I was seeing, a text from someone to someone asking for nude photos and promising nude photos in return. My first reaction was that she had encountered some pervert somewhere and he was soliciting her. My mind began forming a plan of action. I wanted to throttle the creep, then it hit me. I KNEW this number, the sender of the text message. I also realized that this was not her phone, but her friend's cell. The picture slowly came into focus. My daughter's boyfriend had sent this text to her friend! I felt the small hairs on the back of my neck bristle as the realization hit me. The boy was a player and my daughter was heartbroken.
What had started out as a joke, two teenage girls sending a random message to my daughter's boyfriend had turned into major drama. A joke had turned into a tragedy. He had responded in a way that neither girl expected. At that midnight hour, the boyfriend had realized his blunder and come over to our house, only to be confronted by my son (also my daughter's best friend and strongest ally) who was not too happy that his sister was hurt by this guy.
Major drama in our house that night. READ More on Parenting Teens: Breakups and Broken Hearts
Filed under Holidays, Parenting, Parenting Tips, Teenagers by More4kids
Lets make sure we tell our moms and the mothers of our children how special they are to us. If you are a dad, it is our job to lead by example and show them how important Mother's Day is. Start from the very moment she wakes up to the the good night kiss. This year for example, I had my 6 year old help make breakfest and serve my wife in bed. The look on her face was amazing! And I have more surprises to come as the day goes on.READ More on The Importance of Mother's Day
Filed under Holidays, Mothers Day by More4kids
Grandmas love surprises, and there is nothing more special than a homemade gift that comes from the heart, even if they don’t have a use for the gift. They know just how to fawn over present given in love. Here are a few ideas Mom and Grandchildren can work on together to make Mothers Day extra special:
- Potpourri pies are popular in gift stores. Here’s how your little one can create a similar experience. Create this pie with a disposable pie shell. Make a bottom pie crust out of flour/salt dough. Add a potpourri that smells like your grandmother’s favorite scent, and then create a lattice pattern out of the dough. Cover the potpourri and allow the dough to harden overnight. To enjoy the potpourri, “bake” the pie in a warm oven.
READ More on Mothers Day for Grandmas - Gifts She Will Love
Filed under Activities, Holidays, Mothers Day by More4kids
Being a dad who is not a very good cook, I wanted to find something fun and nice I can do for the kids. This is what I found:
Just for Mom Fruit Salad - here is a recipe that Dad and kids can easily make for Mom and have fun doing it together.
Ingredients:
1 can prepared lemon pie filling
12 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 - 15 oz. can tropical fruit salad, drained
1 - 15 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
2 - 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups fresh strawberries
Instructions:
Mix lemon pie filling and whipped topping together in a large bowl. Add fruit to mixture and chill in refrigerator from 4 hours to overnight. When ready to serve, top with fresh strawberries or fruit of your choice and whipped topping. Servings: 8
Filed under Cooking, Holidays, Mothers Day by Kevin
