Welcome to Parent Tips

Mess Mat

A convenient way to keep arts and craft mess under control is to have a large mat to cover carpet and furniture before you begin. An old plastic shower curtain is ideal for this. It is large, durable and inexpensive. It also folds up easily for storage.

Silly Slime

Making slime as a craft activity for your kids is lots of fun, and easy with this simple recipe. Mix 1 cup of cornstarch with 1 cup of water. Use your hands to mix it until it is a smooth texture. For firmer slime, add a second cup of corn starch. Add food coloring or paint to add color. Store in a covered container. Can be kept for several days.

Reusable Crayons

To use up the tiny crayon pieces that kids will no longer use, spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, peel the paper off the crayon bits and place them in the tin. Heat the crayons in a warm oven (200-250 degrees) until they´ve melted, and let them cool overnight. The kids will love their new giant rainbow crayons, and you didn´t need to go buy new crayons.

Only An Hour

Set aside a quiet hour for the whole family every week. Turn off the TV, and maybe have fun together with a board game. Kids get to take turns, socialize, verbalize and sometimes use their math skills. Or, you may wish to start a new family tradition and have a family reading hour when you read to yourselves or each other.

Little Notes

Everybody likes a surprise. Tell your kids you love them in the most unexpected places -- like in their lunchboxes. Just write a little something or draw a smiley face on the napkin before you tuck it inside.

Parenting from A to Z

A~ is for Accountability. Hold your children accountable for their behaviour.
B~ is for Boundaries. Set specific limits, and make clear the repercussions if those limits are exceeded.
C~ is for Consistency. Hold the same principals and practices.
D~ is for Discipline. Make the punishment fit the crime. Never discipline in anger.
E~ is for Example. Children are in greater need of models than critics. Set a good example.
F~ is for Forgiveness. Practice it, and teach the importance of forgiving.
G~ is for Giving. Teach the joy of giving, not only to family and friends, but to strangers in need.
H~ is for sense of Humor. Keep your sense of humor. Promote laughter with your children.
I~ is for Imagination. Be creative, and play with your children.
J~ is for Justice. Be fair, and insist they be fair, also.
K~ is for Knowing your children´s friends and their parents as well as their teachers.
L~ is for Listening. Listen to your children. It will teach them how to listen to others.
M~ is for Morals. Be sure your own standard of conduct is sound.
N~ is for No. Use it, and mean it.
O~ is for Outdoors. Provide as much outdoor activity as possible.
P~ is for Pressure. Reduce the pressure on your children, but insist they maintain high standards.
Q~ is for Questions. Pay close attention to their questions, and give simple answers unless they demand more.
R~ is for Respect. Show respect, teach respect and earn respect.
S~ is for Source of Strength. Share your own faith or beliefs with your children.
T~ is for Togetherness. Have special, designated times to be together as a family - but know when to let go, too.
U~ is for Uniqueness. Understand the uniqueness of each child, let the child be who he or she is.
V~ is for Voice. Tone of voice can convey more to a child than the words spoken.
W~ is for Words. Keep your word. Promises broken destroy trust.
X~ is for eXamine. Examine constantly, and be aware.
Y~ is for You. Take care of yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. A happy parent helps a child to be happy.
Z~ is for Zoom! Enjoy your kids now, they will be grown up before you know it!

Homemade Sticker Book

Make a homemade sticker book for your kids to collect the numerous stickers that they acquire on various outings. Simply use wax paper for the pages, and use construction paper or decorative paper for the covers. Let the kids decorate it themselves, and they have a great place to store their stickers. The wax paper allows them to move the stickers around and choose a favorite spot.

Homemade Butter

You and your kids can easily make homemade butter. Pour a pint of whipping cream into a quart-sized covered jar and take turns shaking it until the cream thickens. After several minutes, you and your kids will have a special treat to share.

Secret Messages

Have your kids write messages or draw pictures on pieces of white paper using white crayon. Have them paint over it with some weak watercolor paints and their artwork or message will magically appear.

More Time, Less Money

Many parents compensate for their own feelings of guilt due to time spent away from their children by purchasing them materialistic items. Instead of investing money in your children, try investing time and your relationship will grow much stronger.

Mommy Pedicure

To steal a few minutes of relaxation time for yourself while your kids are in the tub, give yourself a pedicure. Soak your feet in their warm water while they play and keep your favorite lotions and creams in the bathroom (out of the kids reach) to treat yourself while the kids play happily and safely next to you.

Personalized lunch

To let your kids know you´re thinking of them, personalize their lunches. For the younger ones add stickers of all types to the plastic covers on their sandwiches. For the older ones, add a note. I used to hand write them, sayings like, "give someone a special smile who needs one", or "compliment a teacher´s aid", or "a best friend is someone who can keep a secret", or "I want you to know I love you", or "Good luck on that spelling test today, I know you can do it". More recently, I´ve found a box of "thoughts" already made on a card that you can just add to the lunch. You can expand this idea to give anyone in your life a self esteem boost. A quick note in a shaving kit to a spouse out of town that you miss him, will bring a warm thought to his mind. Or add a note in a briefcase the day of an important meeting or presentation.

Make a Breakfast Date

If you are searching for time alone with your spouse, why not do it early on a weekend morning, before the rush has begun? Book a neighborhood teenager to come over and watch cartoons with your kids for a couple of hours and head out with your spouse. Connect over coffee and a breakfast you didn´t have to cook. By the time you get back, you will still have plenty of time for shopping, ballet, errands, etc.

Escape Day

When life gets too stressful, plan an Escape Day. Pack up the kids and a picnic lunch and head for a park, preferably a national park within 1-2 hours driving distance. Go exploring and check out sites you have never visited before. As many parks have nature or hiking trails, make sure everyone has on their walking shoes, and hike the trails. Enjoy being alive and the outdoors. It will give you some quality time with your kids, as well as help clear your head.

Peaceful Schedule

Drop one event per week. Having your child attend one or two fun events a week, rather than several, can mean the difference between a child who´s contented and calm and one who´s overexcited and impossible for hours at a time.

Creative Dolls

For a new use for catalogs and a creative outlet for your kids, try cutting out the pictures of clothes (not the models) and gluing them to construction paper. Then, instead of putting the clothes on a paper doll, they put the "doll" on the clothes by drawing a head, arms, legs, etc. It´s a nice change from traditional paper dolls, and the results are adorable.

Seat of Honor

Celebrate special events and accomplishments in your family with a "Celebration Chair". Paint a wooden chair with bright colors and special phrases such as "Congratulations" and "Way to Go!". Bring the chair to the table whenever there is something to celebrate, like a birthday, great report card, or good deed. The person of honor will then get to dine in style.