Tag Archives: family

First Day of School Traditions

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As my daughter continues through school, I have kept the first day of school traditions that were started back in preschool and some that were added along the way. Some are traditions inspired by our parents and my in-laws with some slight changes.These traditions help give my child a positive outlook on school and help with family bonding.

Happy First Day of SchoolHere are some first day of school tradition suggestions:

Take A Photo – This is a very common tradition that has been passed down from generations, but now many of us share that photo on our blogs and other social media sites. As your child gets older, you may get some flack about having a photo taken, so do it in private at home and not in front of the school bus! Keep each photo in a special photo album and always write a date and the grade your child is attending on the back of the photo.

Special Breakfast – Prepare a special breakfast for your child. You can surprise them with something new, or something they’ve eaten a few times and really enjoyed or that fancy breakfast you only make for guests. You can also set the table with a new place mat, fresh flowers, or add a card that will put a smile on your child’s face.

Small Gifts – Give your child a small present, like that super-duper sharpener they asked for when you were buying school supplies, a new book, or a key chain with the school year. Decide if you want to give the gift before or after the school day.

Dining Out – Some families have dinner out on the first day of school to celebrate this special occasion. Go to your child’s favorite place to eat, spend time together as a family and talk all about what happened during the day. You can also do this for breakfast. Just watch the time!

Special Notes – Children of all ages love to get notes from Mom or Dad in their lunch box, backpack or pocket. They just won’t admit it when they’re older. Write something sweet, funny or both and be sure to add a smiley face or a heart. If your child is in grade 5 or higher, you will want to be sure the note is found only by your child and not by classmates. Lunch boxes are out by that age.

What are your first day of school traditions? Is this something that you came up with on your own, was it passed down from your parents or did you learn about it somewhere else?

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Quickly The Magic Spatula Book Review

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Quickly: The Magic Spatula is a heartwarming book that reminds adults of stories from our childhood and how important the little things in our family really are. For children, this book helps create memories and start discussions about family, love and imagination.

The story of Quickly begins when a brother and sister are children who played in their attic. It fast forwards to them as adults who are looking through the boxes of the same attic. Their mother had passed away and they now had children of their own. It is not a sad time though, but a time of memories, of time spent with their mother when she did ordinary things that lots of moms do including cooking breakfast for them on Sunday mornings.

The object that helps bring back these striking memories filled with admiration, enduring love and vivid details was a spatula. That spatula, now old and dim, was at one time shiny and put into use for those Sunday pancake breakfasts. The story of how it becomes named “Quickly” is told in a mesmerizing way. The illustrations help bring it to life.

Share this with your child between the ages of 2 – 8 and allow them to tell or write their own story in this book or online at the Quickly: The Magic Spatula website. There’s even questions to go over with your children, and information about the authors.

quickly-book

Purchase: Quickly: The Magic Spatula for $11.65 on Amazon.com

I was compensated with a copy of the book for this review. All opinions are mine. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more details. Thank you to Parent Reviewers for the opportunity to review this book.

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Teach Children To Manage Money

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You can begin to teach your child to manage money as soon as they begin to receive an allowance. Even children as young as five can learn about budgeting. The earlier you start them on the right track, the better. Here are some tips to get you on your way:

  • Use containers to separate your child’s money according to categories – Spending, Saving, Donations, etc. As your child gets older, these decisions can become more inclusive. Also, depending on your family’s beliefs, you may wish to include 10% Tithing, not include donations, etc.
A Piggy bank (penny bank/money box)
Image via Wikipedia
  • Open a Savings Account. This will teach your child about earning interest, about how a bank works and the rewards or saving money.
  • Reward your child for saving money. You can provide a type of interest on the amount of money saved. It can come in the form of adding funds to help your child buy a toy they’ve been saving for, or stickers.
  • Include math in all you do. Help your child use addition, subtraction, etc. according to their ability when they are managing their money.
  • Use websites to keep your child interested in learning more about money. For example, TheMint.org has information for children, parents and teachers.

In order for you to teach your children to manage money, it is imperative that we parents know how to budget our money. I suggest Guide to Family Budgeting because it helps you set up a budget that is easy to stick to and change our thinking about saving and spending. It also provides tips for educating your children.


Set up a Family Budget

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I Am A Winner – Sears Gift Card

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I still can’t believe how blessed I am right now. I’ve been on a roll winning some awesome blog and twitter contests. This one is so awesome though! Thanks to Izea and corrin from oh, hey I won a $100 Sears Gift Card today.

I have no idea what I’m going to buy with the Gift Card yet. When I entered the giveaways I wrote that I wanted to buy things for myself for the ones that I could chose the exact items. For the giveaways where there were packages I usually chose for my family.

I’m still deciding what to do though. I probably won’t know until I get the card in my hand. I do promise a post with photos after my shopping trip is done. And I’ll be sure to go shopping when there’s a big sale on too!