POSTS WITH TAG: summer survival

Big Kid

8 Things You Don't Want to Do With Your Kids This Summer. Or Ever.

Posted by Aunt Becky
on Jul 28, 2011 at 11:46 AM

rebel womanBack when I rode a dinosaur to school and Moses was my classmate, summer vacation meant one thing: my mother would wake me up at 8 a.m. and kick me out of the house, cackling maniacally as she locked the door behind her. Now, I certainly don't want to repeat the mistakes of my mother, because who would want their kids to turn out like me? (Answer: no one.) But I'm often struggling with ideas to keep them busy. I mean, it's not like I lived in a macaroni-crafts house, and let's be honest, I'm not smart.

But I have learned a few things in my 10 years of parentage. Namely, what NOT to do with my kids this summer. Or Ever.

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Big Kid

The Simplest Way To Make Flying With Kids Rock

Posted by Sasha Brown-Worsham
on Jul 14, 2011 at 6:41 PM

Anyone who has ever flown on an airplane with children knows how awful it can be to walk down that aisle, kids in tow. The death glares and sighs are reason enough to make any parent not want to fly. Ever. Of course that is not always practical.

The blog Ohdeedoh features an amazing idea -- favor bags prepared ahead of time for every passenger your baby might annoy. It is genius, really. On them, there could be little tags thanking people who sat around you. On the website, the example is: "She may be good, she may be bad, we're sorry if she makes you mad."

Who could possibly be mad after that? The site suggests candies in little bags, but some other awesome ideas for your fellow passengers might include the following:

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Big Kid

4 Old-School Swimming Pool Games Get a Modern Twist

Posted by Jeanne Sager
on Jun 13, 2011 at 1:15 PM
Summer Family Fun Guide

pool partyuThe mercury is rising, and the pool is open. So who's placing bets on how long it takes for the kids to start in on the mantra of summer? Five days before the first "I'm bored"? Maybe we'll make it a whole week?

It seems even fresh pool water could use a pick-me-up after a few days. How about a modern twist on some classic pool games to drive the cranky out of the kids and help you retain your summer sanity?

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Big Kid

18 Summer Destinations You've Never Heard Of (But Should Visit!)

Posted by Jeanne Sager
on Jun 3, 2011 at 1:59 PM
Summer Family Fun Guide

road tripIt's that time of year when you sit down at the dining room table and start the same old argument with your significant other. The one I like to call "No, I don't wanna go there again. We went there laaaaast year." Ever notice that just TALKING about your family's summer road trip makes you sound like your kids when you're actually ON said road trip?

To borrow a classic phrase from my childhood or, well, Vanilla Ice, "stop, collaborate, and listen!" Throw out his list. Throw out your list. It's time to start fresh. I'm talking a list of family-friendly summer road trip destinations you've probably never heard of, but SHOULD visit:

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Entertainment

Stay Cool With Cheap Movie Tickets!

Posted by Alexa Von Tobel
on Jul 23, 2010 at 1:38 PM
Summer Family Fun Guide

Movie Ticket
A ticket to chill.
Think back to when you were a kid. One of the best things I did was go to the movies with my friends. Good bonding, good movies, and even better -- free AC. The colder, the better. (I am from Florida ...)

With the heat wave that is making New York and the rest of the country feel like a sauna, it sure seems like the time to take a hint from kids and hit the theater.

Angelina Jolie's new movie Salt is playing and so is Ramona and Beezus. Two really great choices. And, if you haven't yet seen Inception, that's a good one to catch too. But movies aren't cheap, especially if there's a family to consider. Cheap movie tickets would sure be nice.

Here are our LearnVest tips to save money at the movies.

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Pregnancy

Hot Pregnancy: Why It Is Bad

Posted by Sasha Brown-Worsham
on Jul 12, 2010 at 8:01 PM

MeWe've just emerged from a massive heat wave on the East Coast and it's been hard for all of us to stay cool, but for those of us sporting big bellies, it can be even worse.

Why?

Pregnant women require additional fluids during pregnancy anyway and during the summer months, it can be easy to become dehydrated without even knowing it. Dehydration can cause contractions, which in turn can cause the premature delivery of the baby.

The reason is that dehydration causes a loss of blood volume, which increases the concentration of oxytocin, the hormone that causes contractions.

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Food & Party

101 Summer Meals in 10 Minutes

Posted by April Peveteaux
on Jul 8, 2010 at 3:25 PM

101 summer meals in 10 minutesIt's way too hot to light up the stove for more than a quick boil or saute. Yet the family still clamors for food every single night. What's up with that?

Luckily The New York Times has 101 suggestions on what to make for dinner when you're short on time and patience. (This heat does make one snappy.)

From vegetarian fare to red meat, I'm bookmarking this list and making a grocery list. Ahhh, summer cooking just got a heck of a lot cooler.

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Home & Garden

Summer Water Play on a Budget: Deals of the Week

Posted by Jennie Canzoneri
on Jul 8, 2010 at 3:10 PM
Summer Family Fun Guide

lagoon poolThe summer sun may be shining brightly, but the summer sales are already underway. It's time to watch for great summer deals, especially on seasonal items, and get a huge bang for your buck.

If this summer's heat waves have you and the kids feeling cranky and sweating up a storm, here are five great deals on summer water play products from Amazon, BackyardCity.com, Sears, and Modell's.

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Toddler

Creating an At-Home Visual Schedule, Part II

Posted by Amy Corbett Storch
on Jul 8, 2010 at 9:30 AM


Photo by Amy Storch
THE THRILLING CONCLUSION!

So, after getting all of your fabulous input and tips on creating a visual schedule, it ended up being way easier than I could have imagined. But only after I made it unnecessarily difficult. Because of course I did.

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Toddler

Forgetting Kids in Cars: Is a Cell Phone Really Going to Make Up for Sucky Parenting?

Posted by Jeanne Sager
on Jul 7, 2010 at 10:30 AM

cell phoneThe overheated kid in the car story comes up every summer and makes me want to cry.

But for all that I feel for these parents, the advice the TV crews keep dredging up on how NOT to forget your kids smacks of some pretty sucky parenting.

The reporter on the TV news this week actually suggested putting your purse or cell phone in the backseat next to your kids (not her fault -- the suggestion came from an expert).

Not surprisingly this was in the same broadcast where a bunch of folks on the street admitted they are NEVER without their cell phones.

So what does this say about American parents?

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