Sharing Memorial Day with Your Children

This is Memorial Day weekend here in the United States. All around us are signs that summer is approaching - the weather is getting warmer, barbecues are out, farmers markets are open, and the Cleveland Indians are in first place. In recent years it seems as if Memorial Day has more and more just come to signal "the unofficial start of summer" (as one newscaster stated recently) and an opportunity to snag some great deals at your favorite stores.


Photo source

 But Memorial Day is about so much more than that. Perhaps I feel it more keenly because I grew up on military installations around the world. I am the daughter, granddaughter, niece, and cousin of career Air Force veterans and an active duty Army soldier. It was easy to understand the meaning of Memorial Day when you were surrounded by the day-to-day activities of protecting and defending our country.

Now that I'm a full-fledged "civvie" (aka civilian), I ask myself each year how I can properly teach Little Girl about the importance of Memorial Day. I want her to understand the role our military personnel have played over the years in helping to ensure the freedoms she enjoys as an American citizen are always hers to enjoy.

The concepts of Memorial Day are often challenging for young children to understand. "Freedom" and the benefits that go with it are very abstract ideas and the concept of death can be very scary to some kids. If you have a young child like me, perhaps these tips and ideas will help you introduce Memoral Day and its significance to your little American:

• Ask your child. Start by asking what she thinks Memorial Day is. Some schools teach about the day, so asking what your child already knows will help you decide where to take the conversation.
• Have a short vocabulary lesson. Talk about what it means to remember something or someone. Explain that when we remember someone in a specific way, like with a picture or a story or a gravestone, we are memorializing them and that's where the term Memorial Day comes from.
• Put out the flag. Let your child help you put your flag out on Memorial Day. Talk with him about the meanings of our flag and the things that it symbolizes.
• Read a book. There have been lots of books written about Memorial Day and about soldiers and other military members. Head to your local library and find one or two age-appropriate ones that can help tell the story of our country and our military to your wee one. Sit together to read and discuss the story.
• Cemetery walk. If you think it's appropriate for your child's age and personality, take a family trip to a nearby cemetery. If possible, make it a military cemetery. The visual of the flags, flowers, and other decorations will help make the abstract idea of Memorial Day more concrete in your little one's mind.
• Hit the parade. If there's a parade in your neighborhood and your child handles crowds well, grab the folding chairs and snag your spot on the parade route. The activity will be exciting for your child and you'll have the opportunity to talk to them about all the various symbols of our country that will show up as the parade passes.

There are also lots of resources on the internet to help you explain Memorial Day to your children, including coloring pages, puzzles, crafts and activities, poems, and more. (These links all came from the same website, but a search for "teaching kids Memorial Day" yields a lengthy list of other resources as well.)

What will you be doing to teach your child the importance of Memorial Day?

The Natives Are Restless

After a teaser week of gorgeous warm weather in March, we've returned to the gloomy, windy, and cold weather that is our usual early April staple. Even though the calendar says it's Spring, the rain and hail (yes, hail!) that we've received today says something completely different.

This recent cold snap has been very annoying to Little Girl, who appears to believe that the change in seasons from Winter to Spring should also mean an immediate shift in weather temperatures. She asks every day if she can wear short sleeves and shorts. She asks every day if she can go to the park. She asks every day to go outside and play. With Little Man being still so very little, I'm more reluctant than usual to go outside in 40-degree weather.

From Ubisoft

Fortunately, I think I'm stumbled upon the solution to my current problem. The Easter Bunny brought Little Girl her very own XBox 360 Kinect game called Just Dance 3. It's one of those "you are the controller games" where you dance to music - either trying to follow the computer's choreography or just free dancing however the music moves you.

Like so many wee ones, Little Girl loves to dance and move her body. We gave the game a spin for the first time last night and, ladies and gentlemen, WE HAVE A WINNER! She was laughing and squealing and moving her body. She and Hot Hubby danced together to three songs and, even though they were on the Easy level, both were pretty wiped out by the end of it. Little Girl was most excited that the game has Party Rock Anthem on it - that was the first song she wanted to dance to.

I wish I had snapped a picture of them - but Little Man was in a put-me-down-and-I'll-scream mood at that time. I'll just have to do a follow-up post!

So, even if you don't have a video game console, get through this current cold snap by cranking up the radio and shaking your booty!

What's your favorite indoor activity for the restless little natives?

Memories Are Made of This

It's Opening Day for major league baseball today. For the first time in many years, Hubby and I did not go to the Indians' Opening Day together. 


A sunny day for the return of baseball in Cleveland

 While I was disappointed not to share this day with my husband, I relinquished our tradition in order to make way for a new, and probably better, tradition. For today, Little Girl attended her first Opening Day.

We told her on Sunday that Daddy was going to share one of his favorite days of the year with her, and every day since then she'd been asking, "Is today Opening Day?" Her enthusiasm and excitement for this new experience reminded me of the joy that can - and should - be found in the everyday.

Each day this week, Little Girl's anticipation grew. Hubby and I were both eager to see her reaction when we reminded her this morning that today was finally the Big Day. Her grin could have lit Manhattan - she danced around her room chanting her excitement and then began digging excitedly in her dresser for her Shin Soo Choo t-shirt.
 As I completed my tasks at work this afternoon my thoughts often jumped a few miles west to downtown and Progressive Field. I wondered how Little Girl and Hubby were faring on their Daddy-Daughter Date. I wished I could see her face as she drank in the colors, sounds, and pageantry that are always part of this day at the ballpark. As I drove home from work I eagerly awaited hearing my daughter's impressions of the day. I cherished the moments as she told me all about what she saw and what she ate and then showed me the pink mini bat Daddy bought her as a souvenir.

Family traditions are important. We work to honor the traditions that have been passed down to us, but I believe firmly that the development of new traditions is also important. While the specific details of this day will likely fade as Little Girl grows older and attends more Opening Days, I have a strong suspicion that she will always remember her excitement at being asked to share one of her Daddy's "most favorite days" with him.

Were you at Opening Day today? What new family traditions will you start this year?

Gratitude Every Day

I recently started a new family tradition that I'm hoping will keep us all focused on the positive in a life that can get very hectic and stressful. Every night, at dinner, we each share one thing that we're grateful for that day.

I have a very annoying habit of letting the stresses of work, managing a family, and trying to start a business get to me and affect my mood. This isn't fair to me or to my family so I've been working hard to keep myself focused on habits and thoughts that are motivating and uplifting. This is one way to do that while, hopefully, also teaching Little Girl about the importance of being humble and grateful about the blessings in our lives.

I think my Little Girl might be teaching me a few things, though. Last night, Hot Hubby was grateful for the beautiful weather we've been having and I was grateful that Little Girl is feeling better (she's getting over an ear infection).

What was Little Girl grateful for? She was grateful for God. Why? Because, she so wisely pointed out, without God she wouldn't be able to be grateful for the sunshine, the animals, her My Little Ponies, her baby brother, or any of the other things she loves because they wouldn't exist.

Yep, I've got a pretty clever girl on my hands?

As the seasons change and many of us prepare to celebrate the Easter holiday, what are you grateful for?

That Time of Year Again

For those of us who celebrate, the season of Lent is upon us. This year was the first in at least 10 years, I think, that we didn't make it to Ash Wednesday service. It felt weird not going. Odd as it may sound, Ash Wednesday is my favorite liturgical observance - I find the self-reflection and humbleness that the season of Lent encourages to be a refreshing time of year. In this warp-speed-paced world, Lent reminds me each year to center myself and re-focus on what's really important both spiritually and in my day-to-day life.

In the spirit of re-centering and re-focusing, I also look to the season of Lent as a time to focus my attentions on improving myself in some small way. In years past, I've worked on improving my health by giving up fast food or chocolate.

This year, I've given up something that may seem bizarre. I've given up yelling.

Don't take that the wrong way - I'm not an angry, temper-tossing fusspot. My Lenten sacrifice could just as easily be turned on its head and phrased as "I've determined to balance my emotions and stress levels in a more positive way."

You see, I have a new baby at home, I've just returned to work, I have a five-year-old, and a very busy husband. Even though Little Man sleeps very well at night (knock on wood), the transition back to work has made me a very tired momma. Little Girl is like the old nursery rhyme - most of the time she's great, an absolute joy, but when she's bad she's awful.

And one of the things I've noticed through all these recent transitions and added stressors in my life is that I yell more than I used to. And I don't like how that makes me feel or those I love. So my Lenten promise is to fix it.

So, yes, it may be a bit weird. And I'm sure I'll slip up here and there. But the beauty of making this my Lenten promise is that, for the next 40 days, it's going to be forefront in my mind. And when I feel the stress closing in or my frustration levels rising, I'll have that mental tap on the brain to remind myself to focus and center and handle myself in a more positive and constructive way. And that will be better for me and for my family.

What is your Lenten promise?

Back to Work

Friday was my first day back to work since Little Man was born. I have the good fortune of only having to go back part-time for the rest of the academic year, but knowing that didn't really make the first day back any easier.

 

For me, the hardest part was actually Thursday night. As I gave Little Man his night-night feeding, I found that I didn't want it to end. He'd long since finished nursing and fallen asleep on my shoulder and I still sat there, holding him close and rocking him. After ten minutes, I steeled myself to get up and put him into his crib. After all, he needs his proper sleep just as I do. I kissed his little head as I laid him down, turned out his lamp, and quietly left his room.

Then I walked into the living room and lost it. I sobbed into my husband's shoulder for a good five minutes.

I recall having similar feelings when I had to return to work after Little Girl was born. And I know my feelings are not unique among the community of working moms. Whether we work because we want to or because we have to, we all miss our children and wish that we could have more time with them.

My biggest concern in going back to work is time management. How early do I have to get up to get myself ready, get Little Man's bottles and things ready, and get him up, dressed, fed, and in his car seat. I did okay on Friday, if leaving 10 minutes late without having eaten breakfast can be considered okay. (I say yes, it can be.)

Of course, the only reason I did that well was because I packed all his bottles and other things, laid out all my clothes in the bathroom, and packed my lunch the night before. Here's hoping I can continue to get all those things done in the evenings. If not, then I fear I'll be up the proverbial creek missing that all-essential paddle.

Fortunately, once at work, I was busy all day and it was 5:00 almost before I knew it. Thank goodness for small favors.

So far, the best lesson I've learned being a working mom of two is to plan and pack ahead as much as possible to make the mornings go smoothly.

What's your best tip for getting two or more kids out of the house on time in the mornings?

Save $$ and have fun: Homemade pizza with the kids

Since becoming a family of four, I've been working to find ways to address my two biggest concerns: finances and attention to our older daughter.

For dinner last night, I decided to look for a way to combine some money-saving with a fun family activity that Little Girl could play a big role in completing. Pizza seemed like the perfect solution. It's one of our favorite meals to have when we're looking to treat ourselves and is simple enough to make that I could include my daughter in every step of the process. Best of all, the entire pizza cost only about $4 to make!

I started by grating the cheese and making the sauce before Little Girl got home from school. I grated about 1 1/2 cups of fresh mozzarella cheese and about 1/2 a cup of fresh parmesan cheese. I later found out that I grated WAY too much, so you could easily get away with 1 cup of cheese total.


Grated cheese, sauce, and crust mix, all ready to go!

 To make the sauce for the pizza, I combined together one can of tomato paste and half a jar of Bertolli Tomato & Basil flavored pasta sauce. Using the pasta sauce saved me having to season my pizza sauce myself.

Once Little Girl got home from school, I made the dough for the crust. I had purchased a Betty Crocker mix at the grocery store for $1.29 and it was easy-peasy to make - just add warm water, mix, and let stand for about five minutes.

After letting the pizza dough stand, I stretched it out onto the pizza pan, put the sauce on it and then let Little Girl go to town with the cheese and pepperoni. She took her job very seriously and was committed to making the best pizza ever. I'd intended to take a picture of her topping our pizza pie, but Little Man started complaining that he hadn't had his dinner yet.

Once it was topped, into the oven it went and we had a delicious homemade pizza ready for dinner in only 15 minutes! Again, my apologies for the lack of a "finished product" picture - Little Man would wait for his dinner no longer so Hot Husband ended up finishing off the pizza and slicing it up for everybody while I fed Little Man.

All told, I think my plan was a success. I had a few minutes of special time with Little Girl while also teaching her a bit more about meal planning and preparation and we had a delicious dinner that didn't hurt our pocketbook.

What's your favorite meal to make to save money and involve the kids?

Be careful what you wish for....

My daughter was a beautiful baby but very challenging when it came to sleep. She didn't sleep longer than five hours at a time until she was well over seven months old. I only got eight weeks of maternity leave with her, so I was a very tired momma for several months until she finally learned to sleep at night.

When I was pregnant this time, I kept telling people, "I just want this one to sleep through the night sooner than his sister did." And, boy, did I get my wish. Little Man has been sleeping through night - and I'm talking 8-10 hours straight - for almost three weeks now.

But we all know the saying...

Apparently the trade-off, at least for now, is that Little Man sees little need to sleep during the day. Overall, I'm perfectly okay with this because he's happy and playful and easy. But after four or five hours, he starts to get tired and cranky and will generally fall asleep while nursing, only to wake up screaming within 5 minutes of me putting him down.

I finally got him down for a real nap after 7 hours of being awake, and only by letting him sleep on me. After 30 minutes, I moved him to his crib where he has been sleeping quietly for 40 more minutes.

I'm still on leave, so I'm happy to go with his flow for now. But I'm returning to work soon and am nervous that my mother-in-law might not handle the not napping so well.

Uh-oh... screaming from the nursery. I guess I'll be closing this post here. You mommas out there, any tips or suggestions for encouraging good sleep during the day?