For-My-Kids.com

Additional Reports of Magnets Detaching from Polly Pocket Play Sets Prompts Expanded Recall by Mattel - Small magnets inside the dolls and accessories can come loose. The magnets can be found by young children and swallowed or aspirated. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforation or blockage, which can be fatal.
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Karen and I have been lucky when it comes to taking the kids on a long trip. Karen was smart when Jonathan and Andrew were young to be creative in entertaining them with new gifts they could play with. To mark the event time for the gift she chose crossing the state boarders as the time for the new gift. This kept the boys busy and eager to enter into the next state. Now that the boys are teenagers we still take long trips. They now know how to entertain themselves with their own toys. The boys either listen to CDs, watch DVDs or play games on their Gameboys.
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My son Andrew has a medical condition labeled ADHD. The H part of ADHD is one that drives many parents, including Karen and I, nuts and causes lots of anguish and distress. The H in ADHD causes my son to grab, pinch, stand up, jump around, shout out, become easily frustrated, be annoying, etc. Controlling the condition with just the right dose of medication is tricky. Too much and he becomes too lathargic and too little and he gets into trouble at school.
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Hustle, bustle, glitter and gleam as we ready for the big event of Christmas. The children so excited they can hardly get to sleep and then we need to get the last minute touches complete on the gifts before we ourselves lay down. Finally all is done and we lay down for a few moments sleep when all of a sudden we see children dancing round our bed. Tirefully we awaken ready to make our children happy. We do our yearly ritual of reading the story from Luke so that we have some real meaning of Christmas in the gifts we've given. We ready the cameras and then tell the children to march forward toward their gifts from Santa.

They rip and tear one after another while they ooo and awe giving us much delight that they are pleased with their gifts. Finally the last gift is opened and all the torn wrappings are put into bags for the next days trash. The children are playing with their new found games, dolls and other toys. Now its time to prepare the meal so that our tummies can be filled. What a glorious time each year brings as we create traditions and memories that will always last.

Leave a comment telling of your Christmas Day Dawning experiences.

Earnie
(C) 2006 - All rights reserved

The sounds of Christmas begin to fill our ears and hearts with memories of joy beginning Thanksgiving Day with the "Maci's Christmas Parade" giving us our first sounds of Jingle Bells as Santa Claus is pulled down the road in his Christmas Sleigh. We begin thinking of decorating and purchasing gifts and often dread that "Black Friday" because we go shopping for our Christmas gifts in hopes of big deals from the retailers. I tend to relax on that Friday and don't go out in the masses to try to get that deal because I just don't like fighting for items like that. Instead I prefer to sit back, relax and listen to the sounds of Christmas with radio stations, CDs and even an old vynil records that I have laying around.

These sounds bring back pleasant memories of Holidays past. My siblings and I would sing songs and dance to the music as we got ready for Christmas and made out our wish lists. We began dreaming of that big day when Santa would arrive as we listened to the music being played. Now my children enjoy these sounds and make their wishes know.

Leave a comment and tell me your favorite Christmas Jingle. Mine is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."

Earnie
(C) 2006 - All rights reserved.

The excitement, the joy, the wonder, the warmth of home, the love and cheer to me is what is wrapped up in the memories of Santa Claus. Very young children are often afraid of this stranger in a Red Suit with a white beard that looks different, strange and bewildering. Eventually our children learn to be excited about meeting Santa Claus because of the expectations of what Santa will be bringing them. Then we must break their hearts as they become older and let them know that this magical character isn't really a person living at the North Pole.

How we tell our children that what they have believed with all of the hearts and with all of their trust that Santa is just pretend can affect them either negatively or positively. The excitement and wonder of Christmas doesn't need to end with the truth about Santa Claus. Santa Claus just needs a change of address and a change of understanding that Santa Claus even though is pretend as a man in a Red Suit living at the North Pole is actually really a real person who cares and loves them very much. That person of course is us, their parents, and they already love us and we love them and that love will never end.

My memories of Santa Claus are good and I don't remember being affected by the fact that he was pretend. Every year I expected Santa to visit and leave presents for me and my siblings. Your children should expect that as well, just as mine do.

Leave a comment and tell me how you feel about Santa Claus. Does he still have a warm place in your heart?

Earnie
(C) 2006 - All rights reserved.

When Jonathan was born he was a big boy, a cool 10 pounds and 4 onces and 22 inches long. By the time his brother Andrew was born he was large or in other words looked older than two, more like four. Jonathan was concerned that others were surprised that he was only two. He wanted to tell people that he was three even though his birthday was still a few months away. It is often amazing at how much we shape our little ones thoughts by such meaningless comments. We are really shaping and molding an adult with the words and comments our little ones hear from other adults.

Anyway, back to the subject, I had suggested to Jonathan that instead of saying he was three to tell others that he was two and three quarters. He is brilliant in math and his brilliance did shine even at two and three quarters; he understood that three forths of the year had already passed. He was a hoot telling others when they asked how old he was. They would laugh and thought he was so cute. With Jonathan saying his age was two and three quarters no one commented on how old he looked; they commented on how cute he was.

Although not really realizing the benefits at the time, in reflection I can see that my suggestion of two and three quarters benefitted Jonathan a great deal. He didn't have to lie about his age. He made others laugh and he was pleased with their comments when he told his age. Words can shape and mold young impressionable minds. Be careful of the words you give your kids.

Earnie
(C) 2006 - All rights reserved.

There is a movie coming out named "Happy Feet". It features a penquin who likes to dance, he has "Happy Feet". The name of this movie brought to mind an incident with Andrew, my second born. He had taken a marker and had drawn faces on his feet. When asked about it, he said "Look, Mom, I have happy feet." He had drawn smiling faces on his feet and he wanted to share his happiness with everyone.

Andrew's feet are always getting him into places he shouldn't be but his feet are always happy. He often teaches me the real meaning of happiness and his grins are as much on his face as the ones he drew on his feet. If only we can always keep a smile on our face as he does so that our feet can walk happily along lifes many obstacles.

Earnie
(C) 2006 - All rights reserved.