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National Screen Free Week
This week is National Screen Free Week which we think is a fabulous idea. For many of us, media time has become part of our daily family living whether it’s computers, smartphones, DVDs, the Cloud or whatever is at our virtual fingertips.
Read More5 Easy Ways Parents Can Be More Eco – Friendly
It may seem that being Eco-friendly takes a lot of time and money, but it doesn’t have to! These 5 easy tips can help you and your little ones become more green and care for Mother Earth!
Read More5 Tips to Jump Start Your Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning can be a daunting task, but in the next few weeks we will be featuring some tips to help kick off your Spring Cleaning with ease!
Read More4 Tips to Avoid Hidden Holiday Dangers for Baby
Holiday times bring holiday cheer and some holiday hazards, but these few precautions can help keep your little ones a little safer.
Read MoreTime Saving Thanksgiving Tips
Thanksgiving is around the corner and if you aren’t the Martha Stewart type who had everything prepared a week ago, here are some time-saving tips.
Read MoreTips for Preparing Your Family for Natural Disasters
With sadness we are watching the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. In our day to day living we aren’t always thinking about natural disasters, but when it comes to protecting our children and families it always helps to be prepared and not wait for an actual disaster to think about survival plans. Try to take a few minutes to think about how prepared your family is for a natural disaster or a fire.
Ask yourself:
- Do you have an evacuation plan?
5 Tips for Spring Cleaning with Your Kids
Spring cleaning can be a daunting task especially with children, but with these easy tips you and your kids can have fun while you clean!
- Set the mood – Make spring cleaning fun by anticipating the day and talking about how fun it will be. Have a countdown to your spring cleaning day by putting up a number on your fridge as to how many days are left until spring cleaning. Have a special spring cleaning breakfast that day. Don’t forget to put on their favorite music!
- Keep it simple - Give your children simple tasks to prep for the heavier spring cleaning work. Let them move things – pull the cushions off the couch, bring laundry downstairs, bring rugs outside, pick up toys – whatever preps the area for the bigger job you have to do.
- Channel Harry Potter’s sorting hat – Buy an inexpensive witch hat that looks like the sorting hat in Harry Potter. Put it on your child & tell him he gets the job of being the official “sorter”. Have your child group items together in piles. Your child can learn categorizing while cleaning by grouping things that go together. Have him start a pile for things that go in the kitchen, things that belong in the basement, things for the closet, etc. This will save you a step to putting things away.
- Play detective – Have your child find expiration dates on items in your fridge and cabinets. It’s a great way to learn numbers while she cleans!
- Baseboard race – Give your child a rag to wipe baseboards. Have a race to see who can clean the most baseboards in the least amount of time. They can’t cut corners because you can only win if the baseboards are truly clean!
With a little preparation and patience, your spring cleaning can be a time of learning and fun for you and your kids!
What spring cleaning tips do you have?
5 Tips for Keeping Your Child Safe Around Stairs
Every 6 minutes a child younger than 5 is treated in an ER for stair-related injuries. Some of these falls are from a child falling down the stairs or because a caretaker fell down the stairs while holding a child. This alarming number sends everyone a wake up call. Many of these injuries are preventable by taking a few precautions.
- Be sure you have a mounted gate at the top of the stairs and at least a pressure-mounted gate at the bottom of the stairs.
- Make sure you have a securely mounted banister rail that is thin enough to grasp in case you need to grab onto it while holding your child.
- Don’t multitask when going down the stairs. Don’t try to carry more than one child or your child and groceries, etc.
- Flip flops and heels increase your chance of falling while going down stairs and carrying your child. Take off your shoes or wear other shoes when carrying your child down stairs.
- Keep your stairs clear of toys, bags, laundry and other obstacles.
These easy-to-follow tips only take a few minutes to do and can possibly save you and your child from life-threatening falls.
Tips for Your Kids To Help with Thanksgiving Dinner
You have a laundry list of things to prepare before you serve Thanksgiving dinner, you have company milling around and your kids are saying they are bored. What to do? You can have your kids feel part of your Thanksgiving preparations, by giving you a helping hand!
Decorating:
Have your kids make the decorations for the table. They can make napkin holders, place holders, placemats or a variety of other fun table decorations. We love the crafts our own Kolcraft fans have made for our Thanksgiving contest & think your kids will enjoy them too.
Cooking:
Let your child lend a hand in the kitchen with small tasks like mashing the potatoes, helping measure ingredients, snapping the ends off green beans or setting the timer for the turkey.
Setting the table:
Help your child feel special by setting the table: folding napkins, putting out the silverware (adults should put out the knives), serving-ware, etc. Your table will take on the unique feel of your child’s decorative eye. 
What tips do you have for involving your children in your Thanksgiving preparations?
Natural Way To Keep Your Clothes in Storage Fresh and Bug Free
Snowstorms in October on the East Coast. Unusually warm weather in the Mid-West. Despite the strange, unseasonable weather across the nation some things are necessary – like changing your summer clothing for warmer pants, sweaters, etc. because cooler weather will inevitably arrive. If you are like me who has limited space, you need to store away one season of clothes while you swap clothes for the current season.
A great chemical-free alternative to mothballs and the like is to soak a few cotton balls or cotton squares in pure lavender essential oil and wrap them in cheesecloth. Put a few of these satchels in each box of clothes before storing. The scent repels pesty bugs and it keeps your clothes smelling like a spring garden!
What tips do you have for storing clothes for the winter?
