A Cool, New, FREE Activity for Kids in the Indy Area August 30, 2007
Ok ladies, it’s my turn to gush. I’ll try to keep limit those times, but I just HAD to share my cool, new, FREE discovery. I will say this may be a ways away for most of you, but we found it worth the drive. Trader’s Point Christian Church is located in Zionsville. In their new building they have an INCREDIBLE indoor play room that is free and open to the public. Think “McDonald’s Playland” only bigger, cleaner and in a huge room with a large open space for kids to run around, play with balls, or play on cars or tricycles if they don’t want to go on the play area.
It is free and open to the public. They do have a pre-school there that uses it, so it may be busy at times. You do not have to attend their church, it is open for the community to use. I wanted to share this great play area for rainy or colds days in the future.
Girls Night Out! August 15, 2007
Our FIRST Girls Night Out will be Thursday, August 23rd @ 7pm
Join us for dinner at Mudsocks’ Grill (corner of 146th and Hazel Dell) for an evening of child free dining and great conversation as we get back in the groove of MOPS.
If you can come, please RSVP to Kristy Medley so we have enough seats at the restaurant. Feel free to bring a friend (just let us know if she’s coming, please!).
Also, mark your calendars for our “Warm Up To MOPS” meeting on September 4th. We’ll meet at Capstone for coffee and a time of fellowship.
We can’t wait to see you there!
Fruity Morning Shakes August 12, 2007
Great for hot summer mornings & simple enough that the kids can help!Ingredients:
- 1 container (8 oz) vanilla yogurt
- 2 tsp sugar
- Ice cubes
And one of the following ingredients:
- 6 strawberries, stems cut off
- 1 small ripe peach, pit removed & cut into chunks
- 1 cup blueberries
FOR THICKER SHAKES, ADD
- 1/2 banana
Directions:
1. Put the yogurt & sugar in the container of the electric blender. All your choice of fruit.
2. Put the lid securely on the blender. Blend on high speed until thick & smooth.
3. Fill 1 or 2 glasses with the shake and serve immediately.
Experiment with different types of fruit. Frozen fruit works great too.
From Williams-Sonoma “The Kid’s Cookbook”
Feeding Time at the Zoo August 12, 2007
by Kelli Simpson, from www.MOPS.org
A toddler can make the dinner hour the wildest hour in your household. Here are a few tips for keeping your sanity during dinner.
- Begin with a prayer. Not only does this teach your child to give thanks, it signals a clear transition to mealtime. Encourage your little one to be involved by teaching her a very simple prayer to lead before the meal.
- Introduce fun and variety. Mix things up! Periodically use different plates or utensils. Try Zoo Pals cutlery with animal shaped handles that no child can resist. Cheap enough to be disposable, yet dishwasher safe, they’re mom-friendly, too!
- Have an old stand-by. While you don’t want to design your whole menu to cater to your child’s tastes, it doesn’t hurt to serve one item each evening that you are fairly certain your child will eat. Of course, this can be trickier than it sounds, but it’s worth a try and can save you a lot of aggravation.
- Lower your expectations. Face it, Mom, long adult conversations while lingering over after-dinner coffee are over for now. If your child sits still for 15 minutes, gets a reasonable percentage of his food into his mouth (rather than on your floor), and no one (including you!) has had a screaming meltdown, then dinner has been a success!
Kelli is a former nanny, child welfare worker and special education teacher. She currently stays at home with her darling three-year-old daughter, Ashli. As you might guess, she was the inspiration for this article!
Parenting Insight You Can Use Now August 2, 2007
When kids whine, argue, complain, or otherwise engage in manipulative techniques, stop talking about the issue and instead draw attention to the process. The process is the way we’re relating. Too many parents continue to talk about the cookie, or dirty shirt, or movie. Stop talking about the issue and move to the process to teach children that the way they address problems is important. You might say, “I’ve already said no to your request. Do you see how you’re treating me now because you aren’t getting what you want?”
This simple parenting switch can help you address the more important solutions kids need to learn in family life.
Excerpt taken from the book Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes, in You and Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. Click here to learn more.
