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your Kids Activities & Positive Parenting Newsletter
November 11, 2008

“Positive Parenting Tips” November newsletter

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FreeToddlersActivity&DisciplineGuide INDEX:
Inspiring Quotes
Toddlers Activities & Games
Easy Kids Recipe
Child Arts & Crafts Activities:
Positive Parenting Resources
Sponsored Resources
Editor’s Note / Humour / new free books

Inspiring Quotes:

Too much of a good thing is just right - Mae West. quote

"Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness -- great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy." Jim Rohn quote

To succeed you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. -Tony Dorsett famous quote

Kids Activities:

Not only do kids of all ages love to play games, games are a creative and inexpensive way to entertain children. With a little imagination you will soon have them making up their own games!

Whether you're looking for birthday party games or just something to keep the little ones busy for a little while, I think you'll find these games easy to learn and fun for all ages.

Bean bag balancing

This fun bean bag balancing game is a wonderful way to help your child’s body and mind co-ordination, balance and control. Mom and Dad will also enjoy the fun and laughter of the bean bag balance challenge; it’s a great family game.

What You Need:

• Bean bag for balancing

• Simple obstacle course using a tyre, or hoop, cardboard boxes, beach towels or hessian bags, and a broom.

What To Do:

Make an easy beanbag by filling a sock with lima beans, split peas or rice. Tuck the sock inside its mate so no beans spill out.

Your children can help you mark out the obstacle course.

Think of lots of different ways together that they can carry the bean bag without using their hands- on their head, under their arms, jumping with it between their legs, under their chin, between their elbows and between their wrists.

They can choose a way to carry the beanbag from the start to the first obstacle, and then choose a different method, and so on until they have gone through the whole course. If they drop the beanbag at any stage, they go back to the start of that section and try it again.

Have a go at it yourself- it is not as easy as it sounds. But lots of fun and laughter!

The kids will have just as much fun watching mom or dad as they test their bean bag balancing skills

Visit for our Free Kids Games & Activities from A to Z

Easy Kids Recipe:

Birthday Party Recipes

You're ready... your princess has invited the belles of the ball to the finest Princess Birthday Party of the year. You've purchased decorations, planned a few games and have some lovely take home gifts for your guests.

Now it's time to plan the finest menu for your royal princess and her court. Let's make it so fabulous that the girls will remember this day when they're planning their future daughter's parties and one that will make your princess throw her hands around your neck and say, "Oh mom! You're the best ever!"

What follows are 5 tips for you in creating the menu of the decade for your princess birthday party.

1. Keep it simple. The last thing you need on a busy day is for you to be running around like crazy trying to make cherries flambé or tiramisu with crème fraise. However, with a little creative planning, you can make something spectacular and still be able to take photos of the lovely girls eating your birthday dainties.

There are SO many recipes available at your fingertips that are not only delicious but easy to make with items you probably have in the house or can pick up in your local grocery store at minimal cost (another key!). One of my favorite recipe sites for quick recipes is http://www.freequickrecipes.com, or you can just punch a name of a recipe into your google search box and hundreds of recipes will pop up. Just keep it simple!

2. Presentation is everything. Think about it, mom. A peanut butter sandwich is nice, but, make that sandwich and cut it with petite cookie cutters into various princessly shapes and you have something spectacular. Even just cutting the sandwiches with a glass into a circle and then cutting the circles in half would work. Display them nicely on a glass plate with some red grapes or flowers and it's no longer just a boring sandwich but a delicacy that's a delight to look at AND eat.

3. Throw the "no sugar" rule out the window. Ok, I'll get hate mail for this one but c'mon mom! Your princess only has the bash of the century once a year, so break the rules a little and provide something sweet to eat. Balance it out with a lower sugar drink and other dainties that aren't sugar laden.

4. Make the drink pink! Pink lemonade, pink Kool-Aid, pink soda... anything pink in a clear plastic cup and you'll be the coolest mom on the block. Float a half of a strawberry in the cup and you may as well get a revolving door to your house. You'll be the hit of the neighborhood!

5. Work with a timeline and schedule for the day of the party. A checklist of what you'll be serving and when you need to pull it out of the freezer or fridge, what goes where, etc., and how long each thing takes will insure that you won't forget any of the details and insure that you won't go to open the fridge for a late night snack after your princess is in dream land and see the strawberries that you meant to put in the royal goblets.

The perfect, stress free Princess party menu is within reach, Mom.

Just keep it simple, fancy, tasty and pink! Write out a checklist and you're all set for the finest party menu for your princess and her royal maidens.

About The Author: Annette Yen is an independent crew member with Noah's Ark Animal Workshops. You can sign up for her free birthday club and get in on her monthly drawing at http://www.noahsarkworkshop.com/annetteyen34 .

Child Arts & Crafts Activities:

Creative Soap Crafts

Soap is a craft that is fun and easy to make. It's a great project to do with your kids.Simply follow the instructions below and you'll be on your way to one of your first bars of soap..... where you choose all the soap colors and shapes.

You will need the following materials:

- One bar of color free soap

- Essential oils of your choice

- Food coloring of your choice

- Almond Oil

- Vitamin E Oil (optional)

- Oats

Instructions:

1. Shred soap in a blender or food processor.

2. Boil a pot of water and put a glass bowl over the pot.

3. Put some almond oil into the bowl.

4. Place the soap into the bowl.

5. Take the water from the pot and pour it into the bowl until the soap changes into paste.

6. Add oils, color, and Vitamin E as you prefer.

7. Let your soap cool in the molds of your choice. (Your mold could be ice cube trays, cookie cutters, or anything else that you might come up with.)

8. Allow the soap to air out on wax paper for a day or two.

Best of luck and be sure to experiment with different colors and shapes for your soap. About the Author:

GranMamma is the webmaster at the Baby Names Box - http://www.babynamebox.com - Where you can explore thousands of unique baby names and their meanings . Read articles on parenting, family, home and gardening. Be sure to say hi to GranMamma!

“Wallpaper”

Paper crafts aren't just for kids!

Make a pretty wallpaper fan to accent a bedroom or bathroom mirror, or as a wall hanging to add color to any room.

What You Need:

ribbon

silk flowers

clothespin

hot glue

What You Do:

Fold the fan accordian-style, using a 1/2" pleat. You can measure and mark half inch lines on the back to use a folding guide.

Or you can take your time and concentrate on keeping each pleat the same size as the one before. Either method will work, but remember the objective is to keep the folds exactly the same size.

If the end of your fan shows the back of the paper at the front of the fan, then cut off the last fold; you only want the front of the paper to show on the finished fan.

Pinch the fan together with your fingers at the bottom edge. By gently opening the rest of the fan you should be able to form a half circle shape.

Use the clothes pin to keep the bottom edge together while you work the glue gun.

Working on the back, carefully place the tip of the glue gun between each fold, and use just a small dab of hot glue to secure in place.

Reinforce with more glue, if needed, running a bead of glue near the bottom of the pleats that you just finished gluing, and along the bottom edge where all the pleats come together. Be careful not to burn your fingers!

Now refer to the photos for decorating ideas. Two styles are shown: one has four large silk flowers clustered in the bottom center of the fan, embellished with green and white ribbon.

The other style, as shown in this larger photo, has off-white mock-orange blossoms and buds climbing up from the center to the left.

This is the fun part! Make use of the tops of silk flowers left over from other arrangements or try dried flowers. Set your selection in place without glue first to decide how you best like the arrangement.

Add a length of co-ordinating pregathered lace to the top of the first crease at the base of the fan.

Just run a very thin bead of hot glue along the top of the crease for a few inches, then press the top of the lace in place. Repeat until the lace is glued all along the bottom.

Suggestions:

These would make beautiful wedding decorations. The variations are really endless. Try adding lace to the top edge by gluing in place before folding the pleats.

Scallop the top edge of your wallpaper before folding, or add sparkle with glitter glue.

Positive Parenting Resources:

Keeping Your Kids Safe from Online Trouble

It seems the more advanced the online technology, the more trickery there is online. It may be hard to believe, but there are people who spend their time dreaming up ways to hack into strangers' computers to swipe their identities and simply wreak havoc with their files.

What is even more upsetting, is that a lot of times these troublemakers target youngsters and it is not their accounts they are looking to corrupt, but the kids themselves.

What do online predators actually do?

Basically, online predators scope out internet chat rooms, message boards, emails, and instant messaging to find vulnerable children. When they find a likely target, they will contact them and do whatever it takes to capture their attention and earn their trust.

For example, they will find out the child's hobbies, the kind of music they like, and they express an interest in the kid's problems at home and at school. Then as soon as they have established a relatively strong bond, they will change the nature of the conversation. The safe and mundane topics of conversation will eventually become more intimate and sexual in nature.

As a parent, how can you protect your children when they are online?

The easiest piece of advice we can give is to monitor your children's computer use whenever possible. We know that it is not possible to keep an eye on your child 24/7, so here are some additional tips:

• Tell your kids in advance about the danger of online predators. Keep an on going dialogue and encourage your entire family to ask questions about online safety.

• Keep the computer in a common area rather than in your kid's private room.

• When your child is online, take a seat next to them and watch what they are doing. If any website or email looks suspicious, divert their attention or delete the message together.

• Tell your kids not to respond to any emails or instant messages that are from strangers.

• Until your children are old enough to truly comprehend the dangers that exist online, do not let them participate in chat rooms or discussion forums.

• Likewise, until the kids are old enough, have them use a family email that you can easily monitor.

In addition to these tips, there are online tools that will help you keep your kids safe online. To find these tools check out your Internet Service Provider (also called an ISP), which often offers security devices for free. Next, try your local computer store and ask about the types of software they have that will block and filter unwanted messages and websites. And also check out your web browser, which may have parental controls that you can manually switch on and off.

Unfortunately, even if you have done everything imaginable to protect your children from online trouble, sometimes a predator will slip through the cracks. If this happens, do not blame yourself or your kid. Take a deep breath and approach the problem with a level and logical head.

Some warnings signs to watch for include:

• Your child may spend a crazy amount of time online.

• You are suddenly fielding phone calls from strangers who are asking to speak with your child, or your child is suddenly receiving packages in the mail from strangers.

• Pornography pops up on the family computer.

• You notice that your child is withdrawing from his or her usual activities.

• You find out that your kid is using someone else's online account.

Finally, there are a lot of helpful services on the internet if your kids do wind up having trouble online. The best advice is to deal with the problem directly and as soon as you can.

Madison Lockwood is a customer relations associate for ApolloHosting.com. She brings years of experience as a small business consultant to helping prospective clients understand the ways in which a website may benefit them both personally and professionally. Apollo Hosting provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, vps hosting, and web design services to a wide range of customers. Established in 1999, Apollo prides itself on the highest levels of customer support.

Free Toddlers Activity & Child Discipline Guide
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Editor’s notes & humour:

FreeToddlersActivity&DisciplineGuide

Great Quotes

Some great quotes to enjoy, but first my funny for the day..........

What did the elephant say to the naked Man?

- "It's kinda cute, but can it pick up peanuts?"

I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: "No good in a bed, but fine up against a wall". ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Last week I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen.I have since been visited by her sister .. and now wish to withdraw that statement. ~Mark Twain

The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and have the two as close together as possible. ~George Burns

Santa Claus has the right idea ... visit people only once a year. ~Victor Borge

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. ~Mark Twain

What would men be without women? Scarce, sir... mighty scarce. ~Mark Twain

My wife is a sex object. Every time I ask for sex, she objects. ~Les Dawson

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. ~Socrates

I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury. ~Groucho Marx

My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and thenshe stops to breathe. ~Jimmy Durante

The male is a domestic animal which, if treated with firmness and kindness, can be trained to do most things. ~Jilly Cooper

I never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back. ~Zsa Zsa Gabor

Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar, and fat. ~Alex Levine

Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing.It was here first. ~Mark Twain

My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying. ~Ed Furgol

Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery. ~Spike Milligan

What's the use of happiness? It can't buy you money. ~Henny Youngman

I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position. ~Mark Twain

Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was 'shut up.' ~Joe Namath

Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life. ~Herbert Henry Asquith

I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap. ~Bob Hope

A woman drove me to drink .. and I hadn't even the courtesy to thank her. ~W.C. Fields

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it. ~W.C. Fields

It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth. ~George Burns

We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. ~Unknown

Don't worry about avoiding temptation... As you grow older, it will avoid you. ~Unknown

Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty. But ... everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out. ~Unknown

Doctor to patient: I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you are not a hypochondriac. ~Unknown

The cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good ... spit it out ~Unknown

By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere. ~Unknown

It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything. ~Unknown

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Thank you for joining us this month, I hope that you have found some extra motivation and inspiration for your positive parenting.

Visit today for latest Toddlers Activity & Child Discipline Guide articles.
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Your Editor,
Theresea Hughes.
http://free-toddlers-activity-and-discipline-guide.com

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