Tips n Tidbits

Help Your Child Make Healthy Choices for Life

TnT Mom — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 21:50:45 +0000

Guest post by Emily Graham (1/20/22)

Image courtesy Pexels | RODNAE Productions

Raising physically and mentally healthy children in this modern-day age is a little more challenging than what parents in the baby-boomer era had to deal with. Technology has created computers, the internet, smartphones, and numerous interactive social platforms and applications that you and your children use to your benefit every day. However, it also poses specific challenges.

Children are less active and more vulnerable than ever before, and parents need to become actively involved in their children’s lives to guide them and help them make healthy life choices. Here are a few of the most critical areas you can help your child with.

1. Foster Healthy Eating Habits

Parents can teach healthy eating habits from a very early age, laying the foundation for a happier and healthier child. Parents should set an example by making healthy choices themselves. Take your child to the market with you, and include them in selecting healthy foods that they enjoy. Make mealtimes a family event for sharing. Prepare meals and lunch boxes that are both healthy and appealing. Include fruit and vegetables in your child’s daily diet and encourage them to drink plenty of water.

2. Encourage Physical Exercise

Physical exercise is not only necessary for creating strong and healthy bodies, but it also stimulates brain activity, strengthens cognitive abilities, improves endurance, and teaches your child social skills, including how to deal with disappointment. Encourage your child to participate in a sport or other physical activities, and schedule regular outings that will encourage some form of exercise for the whole family.

3. Educate Them about Drugs and Alcohol

Peer pressure, drug abuse, and alcohol are often a concern for parents, particularly those of teenagers. Help your child understand the risks of substance abuse and alcohol. Many teens will try various substances at some point, but being educated about drugs can help them to choose—or decline—wisely. Take an interest in your child’s life and friends, as well. While you cannot protect them against everything, you can give them the tools they need, including sympathetic help. Remember that you need to be a role model yourself—if you drink regularly, you can’t expect them not to.

4. Make the Right Career Choice

Children follow by example, and this is especially true for parents. You are your child’s first role model. Spend quality time with your child during the formative years so that you can identify and recognize your child’s talents and preferences. Several institutions offer advanced online degrees, making it possible for parents to further their studies while fulfilling family responsibilities. One example is a master’s degree in information technology, which is becoming one of the most sought-after professional skills as our lives are becoming more technology-driven. Many children want to become like Mom or Dad, and if you actively pursue your passions and interests, it signals the message that anything is possible and that they can also achieve their dreams.

5. Provide (and Model) Skills for Life

Helping your child make healthy life choices and involving them in the process from an early age will set your child on a path of emotional stability, maturity and physical well-being.

Explore more of this and similar sites for more tips and resources on how to raise happy, healthy and compassionate children.

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Got ’im! Our 2015 LEGO Leprechaun Trap

TnT Mom — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 02:26:44 +0000

Matt and the kids were at it again yesterday, creating their latest version of a St. Patrick’s Day family tradition: a leprechaun trap built entirely of LEGOs. This one comes complete with guards, an Irish flag and a touch of gold from Middle Earth.

Whaddya think?

Check out the related posts below (You might also like…) for photos and plans we’ve previously shared for different models.

To see more of Matt’s creative designs as well as some of his paintings, drawings and step-by-step demos, visit his blog, Etsy shop or Zazzle store.

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Timeless Inspiration to Brighten Your World

TnT Mom — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 12:57:57 +0000

Welcome to Tips ‘n Tidbits! If you happen notice the dates on our most recent posts, you’ll realize that the majority aren’t recent at all. Work and homeschooling have kept us incredibly busy the last few years, making it a challenge to share some of the fun things Matt and the kids have worked on during that time.

Though posts on this site are now few and far between, Matt is keeping his Bohan Art blog current with wildlife paintings, sketches, photos and demos. As for me, I’m in the midst of launching B Positive Printables, an Etsy shop featuring inspirational quotes, verses and words of wisdom with original—and affordable—designs, paintings and nature photography. Come on over and check it out! The shop is at www.etsy.com/shop/BPositivePrintables, and the corresponding website is www.bpositiveprintables.com.

In the meanwhile, have fun browsing this site, and thanks for stopping by!

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Incredible DIY Halloween Hats

TnT Mom — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 18:08:21 +0000

Since Matt created these hats, I’m sharing his post instead of writing a new one. You can find the original at Bohan Art, along with several of his paintings, sketches and step-by-step watercolor demonstrations.

Blackburnian Warbler Hat (Sheet Craft Foam and Acrylic Paint)

Kentucky Warbler Hat (Sheet Craft Foam and Acrylic Paint)

This is the sixth year that I’ve made Halloween costumes for one or both kids. I guess they really haven’t been costumes so much as hats. One drawback is that the kids have to spend a lot of time explaining what they are. Last year Kelly’s Kingfisher was primarily mistaken for an Angry Bird and a “jay” but also for a “robin” and a “blue bird.” At least Timmy’s Ivory-billed woodpecker was mostly identified as some sort of woodpecker, although its grumpy look made a few people guess Angry Bird as well. The most entertaining suggestion was pterodactyl. Tonight we’ll see what people guess for this year’s hats.

I always feel pressure to beat the previous year’s efforts. My wife, Liesl, got me to start these earlier this year. That is good and bad. These projects are like a gas… they expand to take up any space they are given. The good news is that for the first time I finished the day before Halloween!

This time I gave the kids one limit when they were selecting their bird of choice: They had to agree on the same basic bird type so I could use the same armature for both. This would streamline my production time… in theory. They ended up choosing to be warblers: a Kentucky and a Blackburnian.

Now for the questions I always get…

How long did those take?
This is pretty much the first question everyone asks when they see these. They are probably evaluating just how crazy I am. Well, the quick answer is, “I really don’t know!” That’s probably for the best, since they get worn for a short period of time. On the other hand, I don’t do much sculptural work anymore, other than 3D on computer, so this keeps some old skills in use. That being said, the hats take a ton of time and could probably be used as evidence that I’m certifiably nuts if my wife ever wanted to have me institutionalized. I think she has a pretty extensive list compiled somewhere. Come to think of it, building an eight-foot tall trebuchet “for the kids” a few years back probably didn’t help my cause.

What are they made of?
The bird hats are made of sheet craft foam, hot glue and acrylic paint. The color choices of the foam are pretty limited for a project like this, so I paint the sheets before cutting them to size (and shape).

Below are previous years’ efforts. You can see how the hats have gotten more complicated with time. At the end are a few shots of them during construction.

Belted Kingfisher Hat (Sheet Craft Foam and Acrylic Paint)

Ivory-billed Woodpecker Hat (Sheet Craft Foam and Acrylic Paint)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Hat (Sheet Craft Foam)

Barn Owl Hat (Sheet Craft Foam)

Great Blue Heron and Great Egret Hats (Sheet Craft Foam)

Keel-Billed Toucan (Sheet Craft Foam)

Toco Toucan (Sheet Craft Foam)

Beginning framework for Kingfisher

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Framework

Partially Built Hummingbird

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Easy Perler Bead Christmas Ornaments

TnT Mom — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 12:40:00 +0000

I recently shared images of Snowflake Ornaments; now it’s time for Christmas ideas—and a few more snowflakes. Except for the owl and turtle, these are original creations. The turtle was inspired by a picture included with one of the Perler Bead kits, but the Santa hat it’s sporting was Kelly’s idea. I think the owl was based upon designs I found on Pinterest.

You can get Perler Bead Fun Fusion kits at places like Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, Walmart, and Meijer. Your kids can use the templates included, but we strongly encourage ours to come up with their own designs.

Have fun, and Merry Christmas!

Note: yet again, you can tell that I took these photos, not Matt. He’s been incredibly busy with his own blog these days. If you want to see some AMAZING watercolors, sketches and photos of birds, spiders and other critters, check it out: http://blog.bohanart.com.

Kelly’s Santa Turtle Ornament (2102)

Matt’s Celtic Cross (2012)

Kelly’s Snake Ornament (2012)

Liesl’s Owl Ornament (2012)

Timmy’s Cardinal and Spider Ornaments; Kelly’s Snake and Soccer Ball Ornaments (2012)

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Perler Bead Snowflake Ornaments

TnT Mom — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 20:28:53 +0000

Timmy’s Perler Bead Aztec Snowflake (2012)

Here are some of the snowflakes Matt, Kelly and Timmy created last December using a little vacation time and a lot of Perler Beads®. They didn’t follow any templates for these, choosing to come up with their own designs instead.

For bird ornament ideas, check out these other designs by Kelly and Timmy: http://www.tipsntidbits.com/2012/02/happy-valentines-day/.

Note: Though Matt’s name is included with the photo credits, these amateur shots are mine. (That’s probably obvious to those of you who have seen his professional work.)

Matt’s Perler Bead Super Snowflake (2012)

Kelly’s Pastel Perler Bead Snowflake (2012)

All images © Matthew and Liesl K. Bohan | TipsnTidbits.com

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Build Your Own LEGO Leprechaun Trap

TnT Mom — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 22:00:51 +0000

They’re here!

For those of you who wanted to know how to build the “phone booth” LEGO trap pictured above, originally posted in 2011, we now have instructions to share.

Matt used LEGO® Digital Designer to create step-by-step plans for building this trap, and you’ll need to download that program in order to open them. Fortunately, it’s free—and fun, according to Matt.

As you can see from images of those plans below, Matt changed the colors in a few places and added some embellishments, including the green flag and hats. (We don’t have these items, but you might!)

If you want to try this on your own, here are the links you’ll need:

TipsnTidbits.com 2011 LEGO Leprechaun Trap

LEGO® Digital Designer

Have fun and let us know how it goes!

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Doodle 4 Google 2013: There’s Still Time!

TnT Mom — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:27:50 +0000

Don’t miss your chance!

If you hurry, you can still enter this year’s Doodle 4 Google contest. The deadline is March 22, 2013, and the theme is “My Best Day Ever…”

The winner’s artwork will appear on the Google homepage, and the winner will receive a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology grant for their school, and more!

As you can see from our 2012 entries, shown above and below, last year’s theme was “A time when…”

You can find the current rules here: Doodle 4 Google Official Rules.

Have fun and good luck!

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Happy St. Patty’s Day!

TnT Mom — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 02:34:54 +0000

Long time, no see! I’ve been offline for a while, but this weekend’s requests from two moms prompted me to share this post. Mind you, the majority of the work for this one fell to Matt. Let me explain…

Two years ago he built an amazing LEGO Leprechaun trap. Although we didn’t catch any of those sneaky little Irish fellows with it—or with last year’s trap (simulated in the computer images on this page), his design has garnered some interest since it was posted in 2011. For the sake of the mothers who contacted me this weekend saying that they’d like to make this for their children, Matt agreed to come up with instructions.

He initially intended to use photos or video but decided to go with LEGO® Digital Designer instead. The images on this page are from those plans, and you can access the instructions by downloading this file: 2012 TipsnTidbits.com LEGO Leprechaun Trap.

In order to use them, you’ll need to download LEGO® Digital Designer as well. According to Matt, it’s “a free program that is great fun.” You can load the .lwf file into that program and get fantastic 67-stage step-by-step instructions.

Give it a whirl and let us know how it goes. And may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Note: The instructions are for the trap pictured on this page—the one that was still assembled from 2012. We do not have instructions for the 2011 “phone booth” model posted here. Perhaps after this one is disassembled…

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Happy Valentine’s Day

TnT Mom — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:31:02 +0000

OK. I confess. I don’t really have a post relevant to Valentine’s Day, but it is high time that I replace the “Merry Christmas!” headline that has greeted visitors for the last seven weeks.

So, what should I share? We’ve certainly had plenty of content this year, just not a lot of time to post it. (Where do some moms come up with the time to post 5 days a week?!) Matt recommended funfusion, so I’ll give that a whirl, and—bonus!—you or your children might even be inspired to make something for Valentine’s Day. ‘Tis a little late for this year, though. (Sorry ’bout that.)

Without further ado, here’s a sampling of what can be done with limited screen time and an excess of Perler Beads®. Kelly and Timmy use the pegboards provided but create their own designs. As you can see, birds are still a big deal at our house.

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