High Maintenance Mom

I am a huge fan of good manners. I am not talking militant manners but the basic good manners many kids and even adults lack. My 4 year old loves to write so with the Make Your Own Thank You Notes she got for her birthday we have been writing thank you notes for some time now. My 2 year old son likes to add his drawings. Here is how I engage my kids in writing thank you cards...

My daughter is old enough now to know all about Santa Claus and presents and while we do not overload the her with toys and she watches very little television (and PBS at that) she still asks when the presents are coming and if she has been a good girl this year. I did some thinking and came up with a few ways I am going to try to make this holiday season less about material things and more about the family traditions I am eager to start. Don't get me wrong, we will still have presents after all we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas so both kids will see some gifts. Somehow my parents managed to do both gifts and traditions so here is what I learned from them and some of my own ideas.....

It's that time of year again! I know we have posted about traveling with kids before but I am asked about it a lot and thought it was relevant with just a week until Thanksgiving. Traveling can be so much fun but add energy filled kids, traffic and long lines and it can be (as I like to say) like a root canal with no novocaine. I think after all of these years of flying to and from my in laws twice a year I have it down to a science. With my organization & packing skills and my husbands flying expertise, we seem to make these trips relatively unscathed....

Father's Day doesn't have to mean yet another tie or tool. It can be a day of relaxation, fun times with the kids and green gifts. As a child, I gave a lot of simple, homemade gifts like special photographs in papers frames, poems, short stories and once a slide show. My husband has asked to sleep in on Father's Day. May seem simple but it's a huge deal when you have young kids. In addition to these ideas, there are many simple and green gift ideas for Dad.....

I love my birthday so when I became a Mother 3 1/2 years ago, I realized that now I have two birthdays! I am now being celebrated for my day of birth and my children's day of birth. Around here, it is also the real beginning of spring. Comes late on the East Coast. So when I was asked by a new Father what to get his wife for her first Mother's Day, I found myself telling him to give her time. Sounds funny but for me it's true. Time to sleep, time to read a book, time to eat breakfast sitting down and play with my kids with no real agenda. But, sometimes a tangible gift is nice too. A good web site for these types of holidays is www.redenvelope.com. My husband got me a great bracelet with a locket that holds my kids pictures. More ideas for Mother's Day include a family day trip to a farm, to a beach, going hiking or gardening. For me it is a simple day of relaxation, time with the kids and a little relief from cooking & cleaning. I would love to hear all of your special Mother's Day memories....maybe I will ask my Mom and post her thoughts next.

Easter comes early this year, March 23rd, so I am thinking ahead about how I will spend it with my husband, 2 year old daughter and 4 month old son. I have decided that instead of an Easter basket full of chocolate (since I will be the only one eating it all) I will fill it with books. My daughter can not seem to get enough books in her hands and she does need a few new "big girl books" as I call them.

Magazines are a fun gift for kids because they come in the mail throughout the year. Our kids see our magazines come and they watch us read them. In turn, we enjoy watching our kids get excited about their magazines. I have not read every kids magazine but I do have some favorites. If you are interested in knowing more about a magazine, I recommend checking out the magazine web site and looking for them at a local library or bookstore. Here are some of our favorites...

My husband likes to read about and analyze electronics long before purchasing so I generally let him pick his own gifts. His most recent are loved by the whole family. The Samsung YP-K5JAB 4 GB Audio Player with Built-in Speakers (Black) was bought around Mother's Day and the Sony MDR-IF540RK Wireless Headphone System with Rechargeable Battery were bought in time for Father's Day...

There's less than one week until Mother's Day and if you haven't done anything yet for your mom, now is a good time to send a card. It's holidays like Mother's Day when I realize that I have it easier than my brother, who doesn't have kids, because I can send pictures of my kids. Today we went to the zoo with the plan to get one picture of the kids together...

Another Valentine's Day will be celebrated on Tuesday. Many moms have spouses/significant others who continue to participate in this holiday as if we were still single and childless, the rest of us either don't care or have to find another way to compensate. I changed my toenail color to a deep red, bought valentines for my kids' friends that I would like to receive, and I bought a few fun items for myself....