Halloween Safety Tips!

Now, I ask ya, who in the world has the time to blog every day? As you can clearly see, I've been much too busy to do so, especially since a nice BIG FAT computer crash! Lovely -- just lovely!

No promises, but I'll try to do better. If you check in daily -- don't waste your time. Ain't gonna happen. The newsletters are still rather active though. BTW: If you haven't visited Parent to Parent lately, jump over and come back. We still have some awesome contests up for your kids and who knows - maybe your little kiddo might be a winner of a $100.00 AMC Movie Gift Card! WHOOHOO! Check out the other contests including one just for fun for **MOMS** -- have you heard of the new baby phonics craze? This specific contest is related to Mallory Lewis' new Phonics 4 Babies DVD: Baby's First Words. (Which I happen to love!) The first DVD in this amazing series, has already won several awards, including SIX from Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award! Now, that's pretty darn hard to do! GO MALLY!

OK - on to Halloween Safety Tips!

Parents are always concerned with issues that can crop up on the eve of Halloween. From toddlers to teens, something always seems to go astray. Here's a few safety tips that might ease a parents' mind, should one decide to follow them.

Keeping Your Kids Safe During Halloween!

There are few holidays that conjure up as much excitement in kids as Halloween. Along with it comes great anticipation of trick-or-treat activities…more treats than tricks!

Needless to say, there are some real threats to the safety of our kids during this high profiled experience. To make this vastly projected event run smoothly and to keep everyone safe, here are a few tips that parents need to consider and talk about beforehand with their kids.

Have your children dressed in aged appropriate costumes. Make it large enough to wear one layer of normal clothing underneath for warmth, but if it’s too big or long, they can easily trip and hurt themselves. Make sure all materials are fire-retardant.

Be sure that it has a retro reflective strip placed between the shoulders and knees to alert drivers on the street and other kids, especially large groups. Should the costume not have these types of panels woven into the material, retro reflective tape can be bought just for this purpose.

No running. Tell your children there will be no running allowed. Falling down is one of the number one injuries of children during trick-or-treating. Have them stay on sidewalks and/or walk facing traffic if there are none.

Do not allow them to cross yards. Even though many people keep their lights on during the evening, most of the time, they do not shine over the entire yard. There could be something in the yard that could trip or hurt your child. In fact, sometimes, there are holes or low points in the lawn that cannot be avoided.

Stay with children under the age of 12. If your child is younger than 12, stay with them. If you are allowing them to go with another adult other than yourself, be sure that your child knows the name of that person and vice versa. It’s always a good idea to have the name of your child, address and phone number written on a piece of paper and tucked away in a pocket or pinned to their costume on the inside of the waist. Remember, when a child is excited, frightened or hurt, they forget facts. Tell them what the piece of paper is, what it says, why it is there and when to use it.

Monitor toddlers and young children for putting things in their mouth. Keep an eye on toddlers and young children as they try to begin eating their candy right away. As a rule of thumb, it is best for none of the kids to eat any treat until someone has gone through it. However, with little ones, they will instantly put goodies into their mouths, wrapper and all, possibly provoking a choking hazard.

Establish a safe route and return time. Draw up a simple map of your neighborhood and mark-approved houses with a red marker. These should be people that you know and trust. Give them a time of when to return home and have a “no room for discussion” rule.

Use face paint instead of masks. Face paint is now preferred by most safety agencies as the safest way to dress up the face for Halloween. Be sure the paint meets the Federal Standards of Cosmetics in order to prevent possible rashes or use a homemade recipe where you know which ingredients have been used. If you do go with a mask, be sure that the holes for the eyes, mouth and nose are open enough to avoid safety challenges in seeing, talking and breathing.

It's a special night so monitor your children closely by supervising the younger ones or as a sidewalk supervisor by "hanging out" with the older ones from a distance. Stay safe and have fun.

©2007 Jodie Lynn

Jodie Lynn is an award-winning, internationally syndicated family/health columnist and host of the new radio talk show "Inside Parenting Success." Her syndicated column Parent to Parent (www.ParentToParent.com) has been successful for more than a decade and appears in various newspapers, magazines, parenting publications, newsletters and throughout the Internet. She is a regular contributor to several sites and has written four books and contributed to three others, one of which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. In addition, Lynn has appeared in a 3-month parenting segment on NBC. Her latest books are Mom CEO (Chief Everything Officer) - Having, Doing, and Surviving It All! and Syndication Secrets - What No One Will Tell You!

Appreciation for Dads!

Appreciation for Dads

What happens to families, specifically to the kids, when there is not much interaction with the dad in the family? They go looking for someone to provide them with the discipline, conversation, fun, approval and love that they see other kids getting.

Sometimes, even if we know these facts, we still have a tendency to forget how crucial Dads are and assume that they are either not interested or don't care.

That is why it is so important to invite fathers to participate more in the lives of their children by sharing a few things here and there--but don't overwhelm him with long lists of facts.

Then, let them try their hand at things while we keep our thoughts to ourselves.

Allow Dad to solve perplexing situations on his own

Everyone, including your mother's brother's best friend, has parenting advice to share. That is okay; just take it with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, when it comes to sharing all of this advice with Dad, unless there is a safety issue, allow him to come up with his own way of solving a challenge. For example, if he is trying to comfort an upset toddler, and you come up and show him what works best, he might feel like you are criticizing his technique. The next time the toddler cries or throws a temper tantrum, he will remember this and may be less willing to help.

Provide Dad time to be alone with the kids

Fathers need to learn how to deal with the kids on their own. Find a time to be out of the house for a few hours and let Dad be by himself with the kids. If you are dying to leave a random list of favorite activities, don't. Unless Dad specifically asks for some suggestions, let him figure out his own schedule. Dads can come up with some pretty off-the-wall things that we would never think of that for some reason kids seem to love.

Let Dad feel important

If there is something that the kids love to do with Dad, let it be their special time. For example, if baby will not eat peas and squash for you but will for Dad, save that time for him. Maybe baby loves it when Dad acts like a choo-choo train when he puts the spoon in baby's mouth. That's great; let that be Dad's special technique and you stick with your own. Tell him how incredible and amazing you think this is and tell everyone else: relatives, friends, and neighbors, anyone who might mention it to him. This offers a surge in self-confidence for Dad and will encourage more interaction between him and baby. In the long run, this is how memories are made. Something as simple as feeding time.

There are a lot of devoted Dads out there but they just are not sure what it is that will work best with kids. They need to know that in many instances, it won't matter if everything he does is the same way you do it or even that it may not have the same outcome.

Sometimes, not all of the time, but occasionally, Dads will do anything and everything possible to avoid taking care of the kids. Many are fearful of making mistakes. However, if you allow him to build his own personal relationship with them, he might opt to engage more often. Just like anyone else, Dads just want to be appreciated.

Happy Father's Day!

P.S. PLEASE SEE OUR SITE FOR A GREAT CONTEST FOR KIDS AGES 3 TO 7! Parent to Parent and Sesame Street are proud to bring you the "MY Favorite Things" contest. Cool TOTALLY FREE prizes!

©2007 Jodie Lynn

PLEASE NOTE: This article, and parts therein, is an excerpt of Mom CEO (Chief Everything Officer) - Having, Doing, and Surviving It All! (June 2006). This is a parenting/health book which covers pre-pregnancy through teens and is unique in today's book market. It contains quick doable recipes at the end of every chapter customized for each age group: babies, preschool, kindergartners, school aged, tweens and teens. This book is not just for moms...dads enjoy it too!

Cinco de Mayo - Are You Celebrating?

Cinco de Mayo - Are You Celebrating?

Here in the United States, Cinco de Mayo – Fifth of May - is actually commemorated more so than in Mexico. In fact, it’s a relatively new celebration there.

What’s it all about?

Some know and some don’t - while others get it confused with a totally different time in history.

Who Knows?

Patrick Osio, Jr., a Hispanic explains it . . . .Cinco de Mayo – Fifth of May – a great battle, a great victory, by Patrick Osio, Jr./HispanicVista.com

What will you be eating and drinking?

Uniquely Different Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 cp diced mango (substitute peaches or strawberries)

½ cp cilantro (finely diced)

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp salt (or to please your taste)

½ tsp black pepper

½ cp red onion (finely diced)

1 cp ripe seeded tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 Serrano chili with veins and seeds removed (finely diced)

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate overnight to enhance flavors. Serve with tortilla chips or on top of carnitas. (See other pork recipes.)

A Little More History: For Teachers and Parents

Use Real Tequila or None at All for this Delectable Margarita!

Ingredients:

1 oz tequila (skip it if you would like) -- it's still yummy

½ oz Triple Sec

1 oz lime juice, fresh squeezed

½ tsp Sugar

lime wedge

crushed or blended ice

Preparation:

Shake the triple sec, tequila, sugar and lime juice and pour over ice or if you prefer, blend it.

Ole! Appetizer Platter

Use the suggested items or substitute others.

Ingredients:

½ large tomato

4 oz panela (queso fresco)

½ avocado

1 small quesadilla (meat, cheese or other yummy fillings in a tortilla)

1/4 cp. chunky salsa or Pico de Gallo (Pico De Gallo, is sometimes referred to the "beak of a rooster." Watch Rachel Ray make it with guacamole.)

1/4 cp. guacamole

3 flautas or taquitos (½ cp. meat or cheese filling for 3 tortillas )

½ cp. refried beans

1/4 cp. crema (Here's a cool site for combining traditional Mexican cuisine with a formal French presentation. Includes sample food and drink menus.)

½ cp. black beans

Crumbled cotija (choose how much to use for your preferred taste for topping). Sometimes referred to as "Mexican Parmesan," Cotija as a lively garnish or a robust taste to enhance the flavor of your favorite meal.

Preparation:

Prepare a quesadilla by using one small tortilla, filled with your choice of meats and cheeses and folded in half. Heat until cheeses is melted and slice into thirds.

Place flautas/taquitos filling down the center of each corn or flour tortilla.

Roll up tortilla and stick toothpicks by opening to keep them closed. Place in hot oil inside a pan or deep fry pot and cook until it is brown. Drain on paper towels and cut each one in half.

Slice the cheese lengthwise into three pieces and cut the avocado into three slices.

To prepare the platter, warm the beans and place them in the center of the plate. Add a scoop of guacamole to one side of the beans and the salsa on the other. Then place tomato wedges and slice of cheese to the right of each tomato. Place the quesadilla slices and two pieces of flautas or taquitos to the right of the cheese.

Pour some crema over each flautas or taquitos and add the cotija by covering the beans.

For Everyone:

More info on the holiday and some kiddie ideas too!

WHY IS CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATED ON A MUCH LARGER SCALE IN THE UNITED STATES?

General Ignacio Zaragoza was born in Texas when it was still part of Mexico and is considered to be a Chicano, not of Mexican descendant, hero.

France would have aided the South in the American Civil War, which would have had an impact, if it had not been for this victory.

This day is more often celebrated by Chicanos in appreciation of their cultural and historical background.

However, today the holiday is vastly becoming a popular celebration of Mexican culture, food, music and beverage unique to Mexico.

The United States celebrates it because, in my opinion, they will use just about anything to throw a party...which is not totally bad!

Summer School

Ahhhhhhhh - hear the sound of summer time lurking right around the corner? Most of us are really looking forward to it. However, the millions of parents who are faced with the impending possibility of summer school, we are constantly wondering about how to make sure that our kids who will be replacing a failing grade, can accomplish this goal...especially without us constantly nagging.

Teachers recommend summer school for many reasons. Some are to help students sharpen their skills in various subjects, but if it’s mandatory, keep in mind that it is a shorter and more intense class specifically focusing on the "meat" of the academic subject.

With this thought in tow, find out who will be teaching the class your children need. If it's the same teacher who taught the subject in the regular school session, it might be a negative experience, though it could be a positive one.

If the former holds true, think about registering your children at a different school where the same class is being taught. Another reason to possibly sign up at a different location is that if you know some of your kids’ friends will be attending the same class, and your kids are social butterflies, having them attend a summer school session at a different school might help them focus better.

In fact, they might even take a keen interest in it and quite possibly enjoy it. Either way, as long as they get their homework assignments done, hand them in on time and asks questions on any part that they don’t understand, they will more than likely do well.

According to Susan Kruger, author of, SOAR® Study Skills (Grand Lighthouse Publishers, First Edition, $24.95), it’s a good time to help your kids learn strategies for studying efficiently. For great tips, see her site, www.soarstudyskills.com, study tips and download her FREE Homework Rx® Toolkit, that features 25 Ways to Make Homework Easier...Tonight! Just click on FREE Stuff.

Remember, the key is to limit their extracurricular summer activities while they are in summer school and to adhere to a regular semester school schedule. Having a daily schedule for bedtime, homework and morning ritual will help.

Learning From Our Mistakes

I thought since I had gotten my first blog up pretty easily last week, that trying my hand at a new one would also follow a similar pattern. As I quickly registered it and sent it to my webmaster, she noticed I had added an extra letter in the url.

In reviewing what she was pointing out, she was totally correct. Good eye - that gal!

So, I looked it up in the help menu that "blogger" offers and found others, who in their haste, had done the same thing. That always makes a person feel better.

However, instead of the suggestion another blogger offered, I simply went into the SETTINGS page and took out the extra letter and saved the updates. Within minutes, maybe even seconds, it was corrected. YAY!

WOW! Wouldn't it be great if every mistake in life could be this easy? Just delete it -- and it's fixed?

Guess what came to mind? The not so old movie, Click, with Adam Sandler.

Have you seen it? If not, it's now out on DVD. He finds a universal remote control and soon the magic of it becomes a might weapon in his hands...clicking through this and that, like real life challenges with family, parenting, work, etc. It's pretty cool.

Nevertheless, the remote's internal database becomes molded and programmed from previous "clicks" and skips forward anywhere from 6 to 12 months, and so on.

What ends up happening is that the sometimes negative daily hassles are skipped -- which is kind of sweet. On the other hand, the things in life that matter, spouse, kids, family, etc., also get bypassed, (which could also be *cool*), but the bottom line reflects a negative one, i.e., missed birthdays, anniversaries, family meals, kids' activities, illness, relationships with one's parents and spouse...sharing and growing with one's family.

Anyway, not to give the whole movie plot away, it ends on a happy note.

My comparison is just that while I was able to delete one letter and save the url with one strike of the keyboard, it's best to learn from our mistakes (even though we don't want to all of the time).

Get my drift?

Raising Your Child's Self-Esteem and Promoting Good Behavior

Raising Your Child's Self-Esteem and Promoting Good Behavior


Ever want to do something to make your children feel better about their self-esteem and promote good behavior? Add a little zip to their day and add mini successes.

1. Make up TV money. As the child does something worth recognition -- he/she gets TV money. On a specific night of a favorite program or at other various times -- the child can buy more TV viewing time with the money. Money can take on the form of play coins and various bills that you and the children make together.

2. Put me in the hat! After discussing vacation spots with family members - everyone gets to write down several places that they wish to go. It makes the kids feel like they have been heard and are important.

3. Let them earn the right to put a suggestion in the hat by raising self-esteem and "giving a pat on the back" for a job well done: setting the table, cleaning up home office, going to the potty, feeding the pet, cleaning up their room, etc. The child gets to choose one of his "Put Me in The Hat" slips with his favorite vacation spot. Of course, the place with the most slips is the vacation that wins - so be sure to say, "These are only suggestions and we may not get to go to each one - but, let's have fun getting ideas."

4. Vacation spots can be homemade with various fruits, rocks, animals, boats, etc., to represent the place of vacation and to make it more fun and educational for the kids. Depending on how much time you'd like to put into this project, it could go into more complicated detail with beads, feathers, ribbon, etc.

5. "You've Got a Date With Me!" -- similar idea. Pick out favorite restaurants or activities and write them on slips of papers. For every good deed, a "Thank You" slip gets to be pulled out of the jar and the child writes his favorite place to go or something to do. At the end of the day, week, etc., slips are tabulated to see which restaurant or activity has won. Save the really neat ones for grades or other special occasions. "You've Got a Date With Me," slips can be made into various veggies, music notes, bowling balls, whatever represents the restaurant or activity with the name printed in a bright color with markers.

Two people can go together or the whole family - choose that ahead of time. If at all possible, try to honor the winner. Limiting or offering suggestions for the activity, restaurant or the TV program might be a good idea if a work schedule has become tight in a specific week or month. As the time draws closer and it appears it cannot happen, let the kids know that you will try to honor their suggestions but that sometimes things can come up to prevent it. If an event or activity cannot be worked out, it can always be rescheduled. Follow through on previous plans on keeping your word and responsibility as a role model.

Life is full of lessons -- try to teach valuable ones.

©2007 Jodie Lynn

Jodie Lynn is an award-winning internationally syndicated family/health columnist, best-selling author and radio personality. Her syndicated column Parent to Parent (www.parenttoparent.com) has been successful for more than 10 years and appears in newspapers, magazines, newsletters and throughout the Internet. She is the host of Inside Parenting Success Radio Talk Show and has written four books and contributed to three others, one, was featured twice on Oprah, and has appeared on NBC in a three month parenting segment. Her latest books are Mom CEO (Chief Everything Officer)TM - Having, Doing, and Surviving It All! (June 2006) and Syndication Secrets - What No One Will Tell You! (March 2006).

Parent to Parent: Moms Like Sanjaya Malakar

Parent to Parent: Moms Like Sanjaya Malakar