The summer before our oldest was going into kindergarten, she expressed a BIG interest in reading. Never having taught someone to read before, we were at a loss as to what to do. Lucky for us, a college nearby was hosting a reading program for different age groups, beginning with 4yo and rising kindergarteners. And so we signed up.

It was a 5 or 6 week program. We spent maybe 2 hours on a Saturday morning there. They provided the materials and a cd. We showed up, paid attention, and practiced during the week. After the class and continued practice, she was reading before she ever went to kindergarten. She was 4 years old. Not only did the class help us work with her, but it sparked in her a love of reading that she continues to possess today.

I hope that if you, or someone you know, has a little one that wants to read – or even an older child that needs or wants help with reading and reading comprehension – you will check out the Institute of Reading Development website and find a class near you. No matter how hurried you may be, the few hours of work that this takes have a lifetime of positive results!

Hurried Homemaker was in no way compensated for this post.

About two weeks ago, I got an invitation to check out the premier of Country Dance for Wii here in Nashville. The invite was noted for “media and industry” so, naturally, I asked about bringing the hub (a singer/songwriter, performer, and record exec) and my kids. Luckily, it was cool. So …

The next week, I loaded the girls up and headed into town to pick up the hubs. We made the short drive over to the Country Music Hall of Fame to check out this new game.

Keep in mind, we do did not own a Wii (more on this in a minute). But the kiddo had played at friends’ houses (since pretty much all of them have one). I just have never been convinced why we needed to own one.

First off, it was a small and intimate presentation with demonstrations by girls who make a mom of 2 try to remember the last time she could wear jeans that tight (and look good in them). It looked like lots of fun, but then again those girls would make anything look fun – the question was, could I do it?

Then, they got the kiddo up to try it out with the PR gal and 2 other volunteers. She did great and then asked me to join in on the next one. I reluctantly agreed. But the baby had other plans – crying for Mommy. And so, I did it … while holding my 2 yo.

Um … Best. workout. in a LONG. time. No joke. (And I only partially say that because I was holding the babe.)

Not only was it a terrific workout, but it was a BLAST! We ALL had so much fun.

They gave us a free copy of the game and we left. What did I do? Dropped the hubs back off at his office, took the kids to Target, and yes … I bought a Wii. Seriously.

I play by myself after the kids have gone to bed as my “workout”. I have seriously already lost a little weight and have begun toning – just from this game!

Here’s a quick video out about the game:

It is LOADS of FUN (and I’m not just saying that because I got a free copy of the game)! It will be available March 29, 2011 in stores – and WalMart will carry a special copy with a bonus track (Alan Jackson’s “Good Time”).

QUICK NOTES:

• Songs are great – everything from “Achy Breaky Heart” to “Cowboy Casanova”
• Songs are ranked with 1-3 stars for difficulty level
• Lyrics are displayed so you can sing along
• Up to 4 players can “compete”

Learn more on the Country Dance Facebook page or by following Country Dance on Twitter.

Hurried Homemaker was not compensated for this post. We did receive a free game, but this is no way affected or swayed our opinions.

As I mentioned before, we joined our local CSA for fresh, organic, locally grown veggies for the winter. This means a LOT of winter squash! Since we haven’t really included much winter squash in our diets until now, we have tried many recipes. Here are links to my favorites so far (thanks to epicurious.com):

SPAGHETTI SQUASH:  Spaghetti Squash with Moroccan Spices

BUTTERNUT SQUASH:  Scalloped Butternut Squash

ACORN SQUASH:  Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash with Molasses Glaze (I do this without the molasses)

Enjoy!

I asked Michelle from doudou bebe, one of my favorite online baby boutiques, to write a guest post. She has amazing taste and some fabulous ideas. I love that she decided to write about birthday gifts. And not just any birthday gifts – she is right up my ally with this take on ideas/tips for the mom who is thinking about greeness, budget and ease of purchase, while still wanting to get something that the birthday child actually will enjoy.

Be sure to get more great ideas and advice from Michelle by following her on twitter (@doudoubebe), on her blog, and/or her fabulous website.

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In the early years, I was always excited to get a birthday party invite for the kids: it meant a nice afternoon of playing and cake. For me and for them because back then their friends were exclusively the children of my friends. But as they’ve gone out into the world and acquired their own little circle of friends (humph!), brightly coloured envelopes come home in their backpacks and cheerful emails arrive with RSVP by dates that I will never actually meet.

One of the more difficult aspects of this has been selecting appropriate gifts for kids that I don’t know well whose parents I know even less (if at all). Until you’ve faced it, it seems like a minor thing, but the things we give our kids have says a lot about our values. With my friends, I know pretty well if a craft set will be well-appreciated or relegated to the back cupboard because it’s too messy (or too potentially toxic or too ‘feminine’ for their boy… the pitfalls are many).

I know well how frustrating it is to have gifts that contradict the values that I want to teach my kids – but that the kids inevitably love more than life itself. Recognizing too that our low-plastic, creative play focus isn’t what every family sees as ideal, I’m also trying to use these opportunities to teach the kids about kindness and generosity in the wider world. It’s not easy to balance, but it’s a big lesson so we keep at it.
It doesn’t help at all that asking a 5 or 6 year old what their little friend likes rarely elicits useful information. I once trekked out to the toy store to buy a Spider-Man doll that Isabelle was quite sure her friend really wanted for his birthday – only to find out that the way she knew he liked it was that he had brought the one he already had to show and tell. Sigh.

Nonetheless, with a few years of school under our belts now, birthday season has become much less stressful. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up:

• Set a general budget based on the number of parties you’re likely to attend in the school year and stick to it
• Have your children participate in the selection, wrapping and card-writing for the gift
• Have one or two back-up gifts in case you find yourself remembering at the last moment that you have a party, at noon that day (not that this has ever happened to me, of course!)
• For older kids, gift certificates can be a good option; for younger kids, the idea of a gift certificate is too abstract. Also, the gift preparation that’s so important to your kids largely gets lost with a gift card
• Classic toys will appeal to most parents and kids
• If in doubt, be conservative: if it occurs to you that someone might object, then chances are someone will. If you go for it anyway, be sure to have a gift receipt.
• If you find a cool neutral gift on sale, buy a couple of the same one to keep on hand (but remember that without the gift receipt, if it’s not a really cool universal gift, some of them may end up in the broom closet)

Take heart too – birthday parties are for the kids and they are supposed to be fun. Even if one or two (or even all) of the gifts you thoughtfully purchase and present are never really used, it really is the thought that counts.

Last week was our first long family trip with two kids. We’ve taken the short 4-hour drive to Nashville with both kids, but we haven’t taken a full-fledged trip since our last vacation (which was when we had only 1 kid).  I asked around the Twitterverse and FB-union for some tips on traveling with kids and got a couple suggestions. The rest was up to us to figure out on our own, and we did. I will, in turn, pass along what I recommend.

The Challenges

• The oldest is 8 and the baby is 18 months … there are none in between, so we have a huge age difference to contend with.
• The baby is what one might call “high maintenance” – she is demanding, picky, and can throw a tantrum better than any 2 or 3 year-old I’ve ever seen.
• The trip required two early wake-up calls – as in 4am and 5am!
• Two airplane rides in one day with a toddler – doesn’t that sound fun?
• One of the planes was an 18-passenger tin can with no beverage service, much less a bathroom. (Of course we wouldn’t know about this challenge until after we were about to board.)

Tips from Others

• My friend Irene (@notsusiehomemkr) recommended ring pops … (doesn’t work for me since I try to avoid giving candy, but may for someone else)
• My cousin suggested the ABC game (great for kids who know their ABCs)

As you can tell, I didn’t get a ton of ideas from the world-wide web. So, it was up to me and the hub to figure it out. If you know anything about my family, you know that by “me and the hub” I really mean “me” because the hub got back in town only a few hours before we had to get up to catch the first flight. So …

Our Top 10 Tips for Traveling with Kids

1. Early AM flights are actually a good thing – tired kids sleep on airplanes
2. Wheel Easy Car Seat Travel Bag is perfect for toting along the car seat to check with baggage (there are a number of other options out there, but I found this was the most reasonably priced option for our travel needs)
3. Pack a small bag for the oldest to carry-on filled with all-age activities (a pad of paper, Crayola Twistable crayons, Play-doh, Rubik’s cube, and finger puppets filled our bag)
4. Have a change of clothes for each person in a carry-on. Fold each item in 1/2 and roll to avoid wrinkles.
5. Bring along a diaper bag for the little one, but have your diapers delivered to your destination ahead of time using a service like diapers.com.
6. Dress everyone in layers: We left Atlanta at 6am and it was about 75 degrees and humid. The plane was comfortable. We landed in Denver to 59 degrees and breezy. Then we got on a hot little airplane to get to South Dakota, where it was 89 degrees but windy. On the way home, it was FREEZING on the airplane, then warm in Denver, comfortable on airplane #2 and then HOT in Atlanta. Layers, people.
7. Nurse that baby on the plane. I cannot emphasize it enough – their little ears have the hardest time with the pressure changes. There were 2 babies other than ours on the plane at one point – I nursed, they didn’t. Guess who’s baby was screaming? (Hint: it wasn’t mine.)
8. Have to take more than 1 flight? Schedule yours so that your layover is about 2-3 hours. This gives the kids time to wander the airport, stretch their legs, get a snack, go to the bathroom, and play for a bit. And then take a nap on the next flight.
9. Different time zone? Try to keep everyone on the time zone in which you’re accustomed – this is only reasonable if you’re only an hour or two off.
10. Relax. Being uptight about every. little. thing. makes the trip stressful and difficult to enjoy. Every moment doesn’t need to be planned. There are bound to be hiccups that will throw things off a little. It is ok. Enjoy it.

Do you have other tips that I should have mentioned?

P.S. – Here are a few of my favorite farm-country pics from our trip:

Hurried Homemaker was in no way compensated for this post. We are actual customers of all products/companies mentioned above.