Stay at Home Mom

I really dislike going shopping on Black Friday.  SO when I got this in my email box I was thrilled and am super happy to be able to share with all of my busy mom friends.   As we know it is hard for kids to wait.  They want stuff and they want it now.  That is one of the things that is great about the holidays - it helps kids learn about waiting.  But as a Mom it is good to have a few things tucked away for those moments when we just need to give them something to keep them happy.   Our friends at Fingerprint play are giving us that gift.  Now through December 2 you can download 5 awesome games from Fingerprint play for free.  These are premium games and so they come with all of the awesomeness of fingerprint play games but the biggest thing that is awesome about them is No Commercials. You can download the games this weekend and "give" them to your kids when you need to - December 6th is St. Nicholas Day.  On that day many people celebrate by exchanging small gifts.

Sometimes our days are long and lonely.  Other days are fun filled but we wish we had a few minutes to ourselves.  Time is funny that way.  But on the 28th there is a moment in time that we will not see again in our lifetime. Heck our kids won't even see it again in their lifetime. Nov. 28 will be the first time - almost ever - that the two holidays will share the same date on the calendar, and according to LiveScience, it won't happen again about 70,000 years. Read more:  http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/11/hanukkah-2013-thanksgiving-hanukkah-fall-on-rare-same-day-97344.html#ixzz2lpDx52U4

This afternoon I was sitting in a lunchroom having lunch with a friend and I heard the eternal Thanksgiving debate:  Can you still consider your Thanksgiving dinner completely homemade if you are using Stovetop stuffing from the box ?  There was a woman talking with her friends saying that she had been proud of her Thanksgiving dinners where everything was made from scratch *except* for the Stovetop stuffing.  She was relaying a conversation she had with another woman who was appalled that Stovetop stuffing would be served as part of a HomeCooked meal. FULL DISCLOSURE: We have always used StoveTop stuffing every year and not only for Thanksgiving. LEARNING HOW TO READ IN THE KITCHEN One of the things we would do together when my boys were learning how to read was to have them read the instructions on food boxes, prepare the food according to those instructions, and see what happened when you follow those directions.  It is a very empowering thing for a kid to not only be able

Do you tweet?  Do you participate in Twitter parties? If you DO then this is going to be an awesome week. If you DON'T or never have then this is the week to start. Here are just a couple of reasons you need to be on twitter this week: (*See below for help if you are new to twitter) TRAVELINGMOM :  Every Monday night at 9pm eastern time the travelingmoms meet on twitter using the hashtag #TMOM to talk about a variety of subjects.  This week they are talking about holiday travel and what to do if there are travel delays etc.  It is a great time to chat with other moms who have been there and find out what they do when travel plans are all of a sudden changed drastically.  It is one thing to have this happen when you are traveling alone but it is an entirely different situation when you have kids in tow. You may not travel alot but these twitter parties are always fun AND they are typically sponsored which means that there are great prizes that are randomly drawn and awarded

On this very somber day I came across this picture in the public domain.  It is a searing reminder to all of us parents that we should never miss a moment.  We just don't know how many moments like this we will have in our lifetime. And even if we live long lives our children are only small for a short time.  This beautiful picture of President John F Kennedy and his adoring son John John was taken October 10, 1963 by  Cecil Stoughton, White House photographer just one short month before JFK's assassination.

Which College Majors Can Lead to a Job After Graduation?

Ok Breath! The holidays are upon us.  Yes there is still a week before Thanksgiving and Hanukkah but as most of us know from being a Mom time has a way of moving super fast when we need more of it and super slow when we don't.  From now until the first of the year 2014, time will have a way of warping itself fast and slow at the most inopportune times. One of the best things we can do for our kids and our family over the holidays is to give them the joy of a holiday celebration.  For me this means more about laughter and love than having the perfect mantle top decorations (although I do love a well done mantle top).  It has everything to do with our family traditions and time spent together. For kids, a family tradition is safety and security.  In a world that is so out of their control a family tradition is a known event.  It is something they can count on and feel safe about.  One of the best ways to make a kid feel safe is when Mom is calm and enjoying herself too.  If

November is Family Video Game Month.  Check out our sister site MrsVideoGame.com for more info on great games for kids, for keeping kids safe while they are playing video games, and how to bring the family together through video game play. 4 Game Genres That Develop Your Child's Problem Solving Skills by Allan Race Video gaming provides a tempting entertainment selection for children, with Game Informer reporting that over three billion hours are collectively spent gaming . 99 percent of minor male gamers devoted at least five hours per week to games. It may sound like an excessive amount of time spent on video games, but that's only if you look at the hobby as some sort of mindless entertainment source. Video games convey a number of mental and physical benefits for children, with problem solving skills at the forefront. According to the Entertainment Software Association, 59 percent of parents actually feel that video games lead to more family quality time spent toge