Month: January 2009

Ok it’s the two words during the winter time that every working parent dreads – snow day! We might have one tomorrow but it’s always a fun and interesting day and the kids seem so excited….

Now what?? It’s the question many moms and dads are asking….Who stays home, where do the kids go – what do they DO ALL DAY??? Don’t panic – here are my top 10 suggestions:

1.      Of course  – send them outside in the snow

2.      Have them help you shovel

3.      Make snow cones – please only use fresh fallen snow as tempting as it might be for kids to grab any old snow – grab paper cups and sprinkle maple syrup over it

4.      When they come in 10 minutes after ideas 1 through 3 (ha, ha) do the hot chocolate thing

5.      Bake cookies, brownies, anything!

6.      I usually head to my gift closet and see what I have that they can “open” – yes I now have a closet in the downstairs hallway that I call the gift closet where I store presents – that’s a whole other post! But usually it’s craft items I stock up on for days like this.

7.      Are there neighborhood kids that can walk over for an impromptu play date?

8.      Popcorn and a movie will keep them entertained for a few hours

9.      Let’s play clean our room – this might only work with younger kids! But you can offer prizes

10.  Ask them what they want to play and whether it’s a board game, Wii or a card game – take time with the kids and have fun

Ok it’s the two words during the winter time that every working parent dreads – snow day! We might have one tomorrow but it’s always a fun and interesting day and the kids seem so excited….

Now what?? It’s the question many moms and dads are asking….Who stays home, where do the kids go – what do they DO ALL DAY??? Don’t panic – here are my top 10 suggestions:

1.      Of course  – send them outside in the snow

2.      Have them help you shovel

3.      Make snow cones – please only use fresh fallen snow as tempting as it might be for kids to grab any old snow – grab paper cups and sprinkle maple syrup over it

4.      When they come in 10 minutes after ideas 1 through 3 (ha, ha) do the hot chocolate thing

5.      Bake cookies, brownies, anything!

6.      I usually head to my gift closet and see what I have that they can “open” – yes I now have a closet in the downstairs hallway that I call the gift closet where I store presents – that’s a whole other post! But usually it’s craft items I stock up on for days like this.

7.      Are there neighborhood kids that can walk over for an impromptu play date?

8.      Popcorn and a movie will keep them entertained for a few hours

9.      Let’s play clean our room – this might only work with younger kids! But you can offer prizes

10.  Ask them what they want to play and whether it’s a board game, Wii or a card game – take time with the kids and have fun

The New Year is well under way and it’s time for some pampering…. and its does not have to cost a lot to treat yourself. Whether you do it at home or head to a spa you’ll be glad you did because everyone needs a little down time away from the hubby and kids.
 

If you want to do a spa at home here is a great place to start
There is a site called https://www.spaindex.com/HomeSpa/almondbodyscrub.htm that will walk you through step by step how to create body scrubs and facial masks with simple ingredients – love the coffee body scrub and the chocolate face mask!
Anyone can create a relaxing atmosphere with fluffy towels, robes and candles!
I love to get pedicures in the winter time just as a special treat. But who wants to expose their feet in the cold weather? Here is a solution for preserving that pricy pedicure.  The sexy socklette by Foot Petals found at https://www.thatgirlis.com. It is a perfect way to keep your feet warm during pedicures and for only $6.95 you can afford two pairs! This site has some really great gifts so check it out – I love all the jet setter items.

Ok so it’s January 8^th? I hope the new year’s resolutions are continuing. The top new year’s resolutions are always loose weight, work out more, get organized, get your finances in order, spend more time with family and friends, etc. etc. So, historically when you are committing to something the more people you tell the more likely it is that you will stick to it (yeah right)
 

But here goes….This year instead of the traditional resolutions I tried to think a little differently and committed to the following:

·         Read more books – so far I have read three books and am in the process of reading Jean Chatzky’s Make Money Not excuses. Also on my list is Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell and A Whole Mind by Daniel Pink.
·         Embrace and actually use social networking – facebook, twitter, etc.  – you have do this nowadays!
·         Get out and do more in-person networking and reconnect with business associates and be a mentor as well.
·         Having moved to new house – try to finish the decorating!
·         Actually print the photos that I take with my digital camera and go back to the old days of putting pictures in photo albums instead of looking at them and downloading them to the computer to never see them again….
Good luck with the resolutions you make!