Christmas Safety Tips for Parents of Toddlers

Everyone wants to have their holiday vacation be a pleasant one. Ideally, everyone in your family should be warm, safe, and happy. One way to help ensure a merry Christmas is to follow some of these holiday safety tips. These are geared for new parents and for parents who have small children. Toddlers will grab trees. Many parents make use of a playpen from time to time. Some parents use the playpen as an easy place for their toddler to take a nap. Others put their toddler safely into the playpen so they can quickly run to the bathroom or … Continue reading

Are You Ready For Your Kids’ Winter Break?

With winter break just around the corner, home – based professional parents everywhere may be both excited about the opportunity to spend time with their children and anxious about whether they will be able to keep up with their workload while the kids are on break. Whether your kids are on break from day care, pre school, grade school, high school, or college, you probably want to spend more time with them than you normally have available during a typical work week. If at all possible, try to plan ahead so that you can lighten your workload during their vacation … Continue reading

The Challenge of Winter Break

It is holiday vacation time, and if you are like many home – based professionals, that means that your children are out of school or home from college. Chances are that you still have at least some work to do. The challenge of holiday vacation is similar to that of spring break and summer vacation, and it has two parts. The first is how to spend enough quality time with your children while still getting some work done, and the second is how to find fun, age appropriate things for your children to do independently or while in the care … Continue reading

Winter Wonderland Vacation

If you didn’t find a plane ticket to Hawaii in your Christmas stocking this morning, then you might as well make the most of your chilly surroundings… or someone else’s frigid environment. Tis the season to travel to the world’s most popular winter festivals. The coldest season of the year brings with it a myriad of outdoor celebrations, which encourage travelers to bundle up, and enjoy Old Man Winter and all his Artic glory. If you are looking for a cool place to spend part of your winter break, check out the following freezing festivals: WISCONSIN They don’t call it … Continue reading

Family-Friendly Holiday Vacation Ideas

Tis the season to be booking holiday cruises, ski vacations and tropical getaways. With students on Christmas break, planes and hotels will be filled to the gills next month. If you haven’t solidified your family’s holiday vacation plans yet, you might want to get cracking. Parents magazine is lending a hand to procrastinating moms and dads by publishing its annual list of top 10 places in snowy destinations that cater to families. The following resorts got high marks for offering a variety of on-site family activities, quality ski lessons for young children, upscale rooms, child care services, kids’ clubs or … Continue reading

Visit the Best of the Best During Spring Break

Where will you be spending spring break this year? Parents looking for fun, yet affordable ways to spend spring break with their kids should check out The 10 Best of Everything Families: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers. For about 20 bucks the handy guide provides information on the best locations for family reunions, skiing, biking, extreme adventures, factory tours, museums, zoos, gardens, historic sites, roller coasters, music festivals, wildlife-watching and much more. There are also sections on seasonal celebrations, such as Easter and Christmas. Some sample lists include: Education Vacations–10 Best Innovators’ Homes Samuel Morse, Poughkeepsie, New York Rachel Carson, … Continue reading

Returning to Class after Christmas Vacation

The day returning to school from Christmas vacation or any vacation from school can be wild. The children, the young ones anyway, are so full of stories and details of the break. Some cannot wait to share about Christmas presents while others cannot wait to share a special outing or event that they attended. The older students are also excited. However, they look more forward to talking to each other rather than to the teacher. The first hour that the children are together can be very loud and talkative. They are overwhelmed to see one another and to compare stories. … Continue reading

Christmas Vacation Break

December is almost over and Christmas is around the corner. Most school age children in America are now on Christmas vacation break. The school Christmas parties are over and the school Christmas art is covering the refrigerator. Most children are thrilled to have the break and the late sleeping mornings. The most common Christmas vacation lasts for two weeks. Children are given this time to take a break from their schoolwork and spend time with their families. There are several different ways that children can spend their Christmas vacation. Some children are lucky enough to have a parent that does … Continue reading

Seven Days ‘til Christmas

Okay, the kids will be off school for Christmas vacation soon if they aren’t already. As we look forward to school or church parties and pageants, remember that once those events are over, children tend to get antsy. It’s hard not to do so with Christmas only a week away! At first, the kids are usually glad to be home, but it doesn’t take long to begin hearing, “I’m bored!” Plan ahead. Pick up some craft items if you don’t already have a good selection and plan some craft projects. Here are some ideas: Christmas Crafts: Music Inspired Decoration or … Continue reading

5 Things Your Baby Really Wants for Christmas

I know. I know. You’re busy. Believe me, I get it. You have cookies to bake, a house to decorate and presents to buy. Not to mention the fact that you’re taking care of a baby who is probably finding new and creative ways to get into and on the tree. . .that is if he’s old enough. You’re probably looking at cooking or at least bringing some big dish to the next event, and attending several family get-togethers. So I’m going to simplify things for you and tell you what your baby really wants for Christmas. Go ahead and … Continue reading