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We live in rural North Carolina.

My husband and I have nine children, with our tenth scheduled to appear in March. With a family this size, we certainly get some interesting questions from folks. I’ll try and answer some of those here, as well as give you a look inside at our daily lives.

MP Godfrey
Team Malt-O-Meal

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I will never understand the fashions that kids are into these days.  For example, my daughter…wears socks on her arms.  They look like leg warmers with a notch cut out for her thumb.  Arm socks!

I was too young for leg warmers when you wore them on your legs.  And somehow I’ve been bypassed again and the kids wear them on their arms now.  I’m feeling a little ripped off here!

Ok, not really.

I like to give her a hard time about the arm socks.  We joke about them, yet she still wears them.  Oh well, I don’t really care…I just don’t get it.

What really gets me are these hairstyles where the hair hangs right in your face, in your eyes.  When I was that age I used gallons of hairspray to keep my hair as high as I could, as stiff as I could.  It

could rain and my hair wouldn’t fall.  There was absolutely nothing natural about my hair.

Eighteen years ago I had bangs that were ceiling high while the rest of my hair was pretty flat.  I wore pants that were folded over in front and then rolled up (pegged).  I wore shirts that were two or

three sizes too big.  Leg warmers were something you seen in old movies…and made fun of.

Today the kid’s hair is flat all over, hanging in their face, their pants and shirts are tight.   Leg warmers are now worn on the arms.

I know my daughter (who is 13) would KILL me if I posted a picture of her.  She’ll probably get mad for me even mentioning her in this article, but hey…I’m the Mom, what I say, goes.

But to justify this article (in her eyes, hopefully), I’ll post a picture of me…when I was her age.  To show her how ridiculous I looked eighteen years ago.  Not saying she looks ridiculous, but eighteen

years from now she may think differently. –Then maybe she’ll really laugh about the arm socks.

Fairy Blog Mother, 1991

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My mother is a heavyweight mother. By this I mean she’s always been there – one eye on us, one eye on the pot bubbling on the cooker. She was a stay-at-home mum for most of my childhood, with a brief spell as a working mother when I was a ‘tween’. She cooked 98% of meals in our home and did most of the household chores, though as soon as my brother and I were old enough, she roped us into this task. She was the ‘bad’ cop, the one who shouted, who doled out the punishments, and the one who chased us round the dining-room table to tickle us and cuddle us.

My mother and my son.

I’m sure by today’s standards her methods of discipline would be severely frowned on, and in some places, no doubt, she would have been locked up for child cruelty. But this was back in the 80s and 90s, in Hong Kong – a place where people still smack their children’s bottom in public without people batting an eyelid.

First, a word about my background so readers can understand the context of what I talk about. I am the product of a bi-cultural marriage – East (Hong Kong Chinese) meets West (British : English, Irish and Scottish). This was in the 70s, when Hong Kong was very much a British colony and the British ruled it with the desperate fervor of the last (almost) abandoned outpost. There were football (soccer) clubs and cricket clubs in place of country clubs, and few Chinese were admitted as members. My childhood was a heady mix of hanging out by the club pool or going on company junks (the company boat used for senior employees to impress clients ) with my parents, or going to the wet market with my mother, or visiting my Chinese relations in the most densely packed part of the world – Mong Kok. My father’s job meant I had a privileged upbringing – going to a private school and living in a large, airy 4 bedroom flat in the expensive part of Hong Kong. This sat oddly when I visited my grandmother and uncle’s family, who were squeezed into a tiny 2-bedroom flat above a market, just big enough to allow people standing room when we came over. And yet, nothing was said about, and just taken as a part of life. Chinese people are immensely pragmatic, and perhaps it was just felt that my mother had done well for herself and ‘good for her’.

Hong Kong Skyline

For us it was second nature, and we assumed most kids grew up the way we did. But I guess my mother had more foresight than most, and saw how other kids of a similar background were being raised by the amah (the domestic helper) while parents worked or played all day long. She made us go to the wet market with her, a place we hated, at the time, for its smells and grime and rawness. We saw how chickens were chosen while alive, and then taken round back and dispatched, cleaned and plucked. The same with fish. It always grossed us out, but we grew up with a far stronger connection to our food than most kids. Food fussiness was not tolerated well under my mum’s roof. My brother was once served the exact same dish for breakfast, that he had turned his nose up the previous dinner. It was the last time he messed around with his food. As soon as we were old enough, we had to do chores, even for the brief time that we had an amah to help us, because my mother thought there was no excuse in not knowing how to clean up after yourselves (and everyone else). My favorite was always helping her prepare dinner. I graduated from washing vegetables and rice to chopping, dicing, slicing and mincing before most kids knew how to dress themselves. My brother and I took great pride in making our parents tea for breakfast in bed at the age of 6.

Chinese Banquet Dinner, Hong Kong

Words meant little in our household. “I love you” was rarely said but often shown. Food was our strongest conduit. I could tell when we had displeased our mother if she regularly served fish (which I hated) or one of her ‘medicinal’ soups that looked and tasted like brackish water. When we were in her good books, it was:

• Stir-fried garlic snake beans,
• Green carrot soup,
• Pork and mushroom stew… all the dishes we loved.

I still remember coming home from school at lunch when I was five. There was always a plate of sandwiches, a cup of milk and a little chocolate Club bar waiting for me, under a napkin so it wouldn’t dry out, which my mother would insist I eat as soon as I came in the door, while telling her about my day.

She was harsh with her criticism, letting us know straight away if we were doing things wrong. When I was 14, I smart-mouthed her in front of the relations at a big Chinese banquet reunion. She picked up a chopstick and hurled it across the table at me, smacking me right in the forehead. No one blinked. Even today I can see her trying to bite her tongue, as she watches me cook or parent my two-year-old, knowing that she’s itching to tell me how to do it. Sometimes it slips out before she can stop herself – ‘Ai Ya! Is this how I raised you? What kind of Chinese cook are you? This is not Chinese cooking! What will your husband say? Ai Ya!”.

She also had her own “secret, Chinese mother ways” of not letting us eat bad things like Coke, or hamburgers, or sweets, or making us eat food that was good (like fish). The biggest whopper was pointing out a man on the street who had a neck brace on (presumably for whiplash) and saying ‘You see?! This is what happens if you don’t eat fish! Your throat swells up BIG and then you can’t eat! Better eat fish now…”. Or another time, “Don’t drink any Coke, it excites your glands. Make you lu-lu (crazy)”.

3rd Birthday Party!

With hindsight, I see how hard it must have been for my mother, juggling East and West, entertaining Dad’s colleagues on their junk trips, or cooking Chinese banquets, being a kind of trophy wife then running back to Mong Kok to spend time with her brother and mother in their tiny flat with 5 people crammed in. All this while simultaneously raising two kids in two cultures, helping them find their feet and their independence. When my Por-por (grandma) passed away a few years ago, my mother had spent three or four years by her side watching her decline into dementia and finally slip away, frail and fragile as a feather. At the time, my parents were going through a difficult divorce after being married for 30 years. She wobbled badly, but never crumbled. I can only conclude that she has a will of iron and a diamond-hard core.

Being back under her roof now, with my son is both a blessing and a curse. She is exactly the same with him as she was with us… Uncompromising, determined, loving, raucous. He now knows where to put his dirty clothes, loves to sweep the floor, helps his Por Por to load and unload the washing machine and hang up clothes, and is generally a little messenger boy between rooms. They adore each other. She is his absolute best friend. And yet, with me it’s still the eagle eye, and the odd “Why are you doing it that way? My way is better!”

So I listen, watch, observe quietly and remember how she kept us in line, how she showed us love. I too have mastered her thousand yard stare – better known as the Eye of Death, for its laser beam intensity. I practiced it to perfection as a teacher, and now only have to release a fraction of it, to scare my kid into picking up his toys. If I turn out half as good and tough as my mother, I will be happy in the knowledge that my son has been raised well.

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When I was asked to guest blog for M-O-M, I was absolutely gobsmacked and almost fell off my chair. Who’d have thought that my little blog would garner any attention? I feel very much a minnow in the blog world, compared to the big-hitters of Skip to My Lou, Smitten Kitchen, Bakerella, Steamy Kitchen, The Pioneer Woman, to name just a few. How to stand out amongst the crowd of giants? Because, to be honest, there really isn’t anything special about me or my blog. I’m just an average Joanne, struggling to make things work – food, love, life and motherhood. But after reading M-O-M’s blog, I realize that I’m in great company – the women featured are all average Joannes making sense of their world. The things they blog about are universal – food, love, life and motherhood. That’s what makes it so relevant to me, keeps me hooked. How many times I’ve read something and laughed out loud, thinking ‘Hey, me too!’ or ‘Wait a minute! I thought I was the only one!’. My guest blog is hopefully one that resonates with all of you too. Enjoy!

Warm Regards,

Shal
Jasmine & Ginger Blog
www.jasmineandginger.blogspot.com

One Hot Mom

To Need or Not to Need

Hot, not, or indifferent, I know being a mom is never easy. We all want to be the best parents we can be, and can often equate being a good mom with sacrificing our own wants and needs when it comes to things like shopping and dressing with more than just the basics in mind. I’ve met some Moms who feel like doing ANYTHING meant just for themselves is a thing of the past since they decided to have kids. It doesn’t have to be that way. Our needs as Moms are still as important as they were before we went domestic.

The Balancing Act

While it’s no small feat, we Mom’s manage to adjust our lifestyles to make it possible (and fun!) to take good care of our little ones amongst the usual chaos of everyday life. Adjustments, concessions, and the occasional ability to leap a tall building in a single bound are often necessary when you have a family, but there is no need to adjust your personal needs into obscurity. Even if most days you feel like you should be wearing a cape.

Priorities

If being a fashionable, hot mom isn’t the highest priority in your life, you don’t need to feel selfish if you want to keep it somewhere on your lengthy list of things to do. Personally, I try to keep in mind that the better I look, the better I feel. The better I feel, the happier I am. Everyone around me seems to reap the benefits of this notion.
Don’t get me wrong! I realize that sweats and old t-shirts are usually the required attire in getting though life’s ups (vacuuming cobwebs off ceilings) and downs (scrubbing dirty toilets) but your Everyday Diva can still weigh in on what she wears when the serious heavy lifting is finally at rest for the day.

Diva Do’s & Diva Don’ts

Even those of us who are lucky enough to have found a way around staying in our sweats to clean our homes all day every day, know that if it’s not one thing it’s another. You know what I’m getting at and trust me, like many others I struggle with the fact that my body doesn’t resemble in any way what it looked like before having my children.
I’ve been told that true beauty comes from within, and I agree with that 100%. But for those of us who are interested in making a bit more of a fashion statement, here are some basics to keep in mind while dressing the outside of your Inner Diva:

Do’s:

• Do look for well-fitting, age-appropriate attire that is comfortable to you.
• Do add a little color. Scared? Start small by matching a purse or belt with your shoes.

Don’ts:

• Don’t wear frumpy clothes. You know what they look like, and they are a big NO-no!
• Don’t wear baggy, saggy or raggy duds. (-the guilty among us know who we are, so let’s stop hiding in those overly-long, overly-loose, dated numbers.)

Dollars & Sense?

High-priced clothing is expensive. Personal style isn’t. Looking great in what you wear doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Finding clothes that look good on you is do-able even on a very limited budget. Some excellent stores to shop for exceptional fashion without breaking the bank are:

• TJMaxx or Marshallsstore where I found 3 fabulous budget friendly looks under $50.
• Kohls Department Stores have an awesome sales alert program and even better clearance prices.
• A.J.Wright a new store I recently discovered that has absolutely fantastic prices!

Read more on what I bought in The Domestic Diva archives:

1. Marhalls & TJMaxx :http://thedomesticdiva.org/blog/2009/06/08/monetary-monday-looking-fabulous-for-less-with-marshalls-and-tjmaxx/
2. Kohls: http://thedomesticdiva.org/blog/2009/05/18/monetary-monday-kohls-sales-alerts/
3. A.J. Wright: http://thedomesticdiva.org/blog/category/shopping-for-less-at-tjmaxx-and-marshalls/

Even a local Thrift Store or Goodwill can be a great place to snag some fashion finds!

http://thedomesticdiva.org/blog/2009/03/01/get-thrifty-finds-of-the-week/

Good Luck and Happy Shopping!

The Domestic Diva
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This great fashion-forward Mom post was generously provided by Heather Batts, a.k.a The Domestic Diva. Heather is a mom turned professional blogger who dishes daily about products she loves, v-logs on being a tech-savvy diva, as well as offers, how-to tips and money saving tricks for our domesticated lives.

You can read more by the Domesic Diva at: http://www.thedomesticdiva.org
Follow her on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thedomesticdiva
Or check out her YouTube videos: http://www.youtube.com/thedomesticdiva

Best,

MP Godfrey
& Team Malt-O-Meal

About a year ago, the Henderson’s returned from Russia with two VERY tiny, new additions to their family in-tow. Many of us know what a challenge it can be to get our picky eaters to finish what we put on their plates. This family had an entirely different version of the “picky-eater” challenge ahead of them with trying to feed two children who were severely underweight, undersized, and unfamiliar with Western food.

I must further preface this story for the readers who don’t already know that Malt-O-Meal Hot Wheat® tastes really good when prepared using the recipe on the box. Increasing the caloric content usually isn’t necessary to get adequate nutrition and flavor benefits. It’s fortified with vitamins and minerals including iron and has been approved by WIC program dietitians and kid nutrition experts in 33 States. (However, I still add a serving fruit to mine, but I’m a somewhat of a rebel.)

This blog entry from www.clutteredpantry.com was written by Mr. Henderson about 7 months ago:

” It’s been 5 months since we brought home our two new, adorable, tiny daughters from eastern Siberia. We’re so unbelievably happy to have them in our lives, and we’re even more happy that these two sisters get to stay together. That day in October, when we finally began our 18 hours of air travel home with them, they were happy, but quite small (hardly on the US growth charts) and, as they only spoke Russian, difficult to anticipate with regard to what they’d be able, or willing, to eat. Once we got home to Chicago we kind of looked at each other, looked at them, and considered how we’d reach our goals for helping them to pack on healthy weight just as quickly as possible.

Our biggest “problem” was their intense desire for fresh fruits and vegetables. We had to bribe them with broccoli and peas to get them to eat the foods that most toddlers beg for.
In 5 months there has been a lot of experimenting with menus of course, and a lot of success and failure along the way (I think it’s like this for every parent), except when it comes to breakfast. Breakfast is always a success.

We’re convinced we’ve been able to get our girls to grow so quickly (they’ve each added 6cm and more than 30% weight gain!) because their most important meal of the day, breakfast, is one they always completely and happily finish and, amazingly, one that’s even great for them.
I’m talking about Malt-O-Meal, which is what my wife grew up eating. I was a Cream Of Wheat® kid, never had Malt-O-Meal at all, but my wife was from a Malt-O-Meal family, and she insisted from Day 1 that we try it. Home Run!!

Malt-O-Meal with:

• Butter
• Brown sugar
• Blueberries

(the girls’ nickname for it, “mush!”, which they evolved from their Russian “kash”) is THE signature meal in our home. In the beginning, to help get the weight-gain ball rolling, we’d make it with whole milk, and even added a little heavy cream. Once their cheeks starting getting chubby, we went back to the regular recipe. But from the start and even now, these tiny girls are putting away a whole serving of Malt-O-Meal each and every morning. Here we are, 5 months in to our parenting journey (AND the first morning of pre-primary school for our oldest girl!) looking at empty bowls, smiling, healthy, faces and full, happy tummies…theirs and our! Thanks Malt-O-Meal!! ”

I recently contacted Mr. Henderson for an update on the tiny”Russian dolls”, and this is what he had to tell us:

Happy Father's Day!

As for present day…

It’s been 10 months now that we completed our 2nd trip and brought them them home, and they continue to grow at a phenomenal rate; of course Malt-O-Meal continues to play a daily role. Each girl is about 10cm taller than they were when we first brought them home, and they’re up almost 40% in weight. The funny thing is, they’re so active that the added weight is almost all muscle. Never have I seen such triceps on a 2 year old!

One of the questions we get a lot is, do they still speak any Russian? The older one did have quite a vocabulary when we first met. We learned enough Russian to communicate with them, and to know if they were telling us if they were hungry, thirsty, had to go potty, etc., but after a few months home they both started picking up English very well. After about 5 months they didn’t know any Russian words any more (nor did they recognize pictures of their once-beloved main caretaker from their orphanage…the woman with whom they had a big farewell cry when we all left).

It’s as though they decided; okay, that stuff was all then when we were waiting for our mommy and daddy to come get us. This is now, and that chapter has closed. We do know that as they grow, and as they learn of, and comprehend their origins, they’ll want to learn Russian again. We can’t wait.

But right now, two little girls (as American as can be) are trying to wake up from a nap. I hear their two little voices on the monitor are already lobbying for a visit to the playground.

The photo is from Father’s Day 2009…..my first ever as a Dad myself!

I could not be more thrilled to hear the great news about these little darlings!

You can read more about the Henderson family and these “Tiny Russian Dolls” at www.clutteredpantry.com.

All the best,

MP Godfrey

Team Malt-O-Meal

The kid who is screeching like a banshee in public, running around like a madman and his mother chasing him going Sssshhhh! and Stop that!.  Then they think it’s funny that you’re chasing them so they run faster and farther away, crawl under something where you are unable to reach them.  Then when you do manage to drag them out from wherever, it’s chaos all over again.

I’m the Mom that other people look at with deep sympathy because they’ve been there (and are thanking their lucky stars that those days are over…or maybe they just left their kid at home?).  Or roll their eyes and give me that look.  You know THAT look that they give to THAT Mom with THAT kid.

The terrible twos really are terrible and have really been a challenge for me.  I really DON’T KNOW what to do to make my kid calm down.  I don’t know what to do to make him sit still and be good while in public.

Short of never (never!) taking him out in public again, what do I do?

• I chase him.
• I “whisper yell” at him. You all know what I’m talking about…whisper yelling. Admit it, you’ve done it.
• I bribe him. That never works either, but I always try. Just in case. I’d buy him a freakin’ pony if he just sat in the cart and didn’t yell “MINE!” to everything we passed.

That’s all I can do.  I assure you if I grab him and force him to do something he doesn’t want he will let out a deafening, eardrum-piercing shriek that will make dogs howl, babies cry and ambulances and police cars show up expecting the worst.  In fact, I’m pretty sure all of you, wherever you are, have heard my kid scream before.

And I won’t leave the store without my purchases…because that just means I have to come back and there is a 50% chance I’d have to bring him with me.  Nope.  No way.  Not gonna’ do it. We all have to suffer now and then, so all of you giving me the stink-eye are just going have to deal with it.

• If you see me at the store and I’m crying…you know why.

• If you see me at a restaurant on my hands and knees “whisper yelling”…you know why.

• If you find a screeching, shoeless toddler running around…it’s probably my kid….Thank you for retuning to my general vicinity.

Every grocery trip, restaurant visit and car ride ends with one (me) or both of us in tears…and shoeless (him).

Deep sigh. This too shall pass…hopefully.
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The time, care, and good humor given to this blog post was generously donated by our favorite “Fairy Blog Mother,” Annette Burke. Visit the Fairy Blog Mother blog for great giveaways, honest product reviews and other things that may make you question her sanity.  Enjoy!

Best,

MPGodfrey & Team Malt-O-Meal

Now-a-days it seems that children are more materialistic than ever. They have tons of video games, more than one game system, iPods, cell phones and designer clothes just to name a few. Much of the problem is some of the TV shows that are on TV. For example a show on MTV called “Sweet 16″  shows teenagers with the best clothes, shopping for brand new sports cars they want for their birthday present and planning their $200,000 birthday parties.  Shows like this give children the impression that money comes easily.

I’m not saying that the answer to the problem is don’t let them watch these TV shows and don’t buy them the newest technology. But, I think that as a parent we just need to begin early on teaching our children the value of a dollar.

My mother was a single mother and an Assistant Vice President of a Bank when I was growing up. So, not only was I taught early on the importance of saving money, but because she was a single mother she was very, very careful on what money she spent. I watched my mother use labeled envelopes to budget and she was quite frugal when it came to buying our clothes. And, even though back then I would be lying If I didn’t say I was at times a bit jealous of other children owning a wardrobe filled with designer clothes and playing with newest gadget. However, as an adult I am thrilled that I was brought up with the financial knowledge my mother taught me.

Reasons to Teach your Children the Value of a Dollar

Without the money management skills my mother taught me early on I probably would have been very lost. I would have made plenty of money mistakes as an adult that could have cost me a ton of money. It is true that the mistakes you make teaches you important lessons. However, wouldn’t it be better to have your children make the mistakes as a child than as an adult? Of course. And, probably cheaper.

What can happen if you Don’t Teach your Children the Value of a Dollar?

Children might struggle with:

• Balancing a checkbook
• Splurging on Impulsive Buys
• Saving for their future
• Poor money management skills
• Maxed Credit Cards
• Bad credit rating
• Understanding the difference between wants and needs

Teaching children the value of a dollar is something that will last a lifetime and could save them from a lifetime of struggles. Could you imagine how difficult things could be for your children financially if they didn’t have these skills? Would they blow their entire paycheck? Would they be setting money aside for retirement? Would they be overdrawing their checking account every month? Would they max out their credit cards? Or worst… bankruptcy? I shudder just thinking of these things.

But, if you start teaching your children as early as possible the chances of these financial woes happening to your children diminishes. So, let’s get started on the “How to’s” of Teaching our children the value of a dollar.

Teaching Children Value of a Dollar

Many parents are very intimidated on how to go about teaching their children the value of a dollar. Many of us weren’t taught money management skills growing up ourselves…. how then get we go about teaching them to our children? I understand their concern, but even if you weren’t taught the skills growing up by your parents you can teach them to your children. Here are some How to’s to help you out.

How to Teach Children the Value of a Dollar

Kids allowance – Teach your child that if they want money they need to earn it. Give your child some chores and work out a weekly schedule. With each job completed they get paid a price that you have worked out. By the end of the week they will receive their earned allowance. They only get paid for the chores they completed. The more jobs they completed the bigger the pay.

Work ethics – When you work hard for your money you value it more. That is why allowance works so well in teaching kids the value of a dollar. But, in order to earn allowance children must work for it. Children, just like adults, appreciate money more when they have to work for it.

Difference between wants and needs – Teach your children the difference between a Want and a Need. A need is something that we must have to survive such as food, shelter and clothing. A Want is something that we would like to have, but we don’t necessarily need it to survive such as video games, sports car and designer shoes.

Be a good role model – Our children look up to us. One way to reinforce what we are teaching our children is to practice what we preach. So, make sure you are being a good “money management” role model to your children. For example:

*practice comparison shopping
*follow a budget
*think before you buy

Children’s Savings - We all know how important it is for us to save for our children’s future. But, I’m not talking about that kind of savings account right now. I’m talking about having your child open up his/her own Children’s Savings. When a child has their own savings it teaches them money management which is a MUST skill as an adult. Show your child how to keep track of their deposits and withdrawals in the register. They will enjoy watching the account grow as they add their deposits in their register and they will learn to really think about their purchases before they make a withdrawal.

Savings accounts earn interest. – Now that your child has their own savings account teach them that as their money sits in a savings account they earn interest. The larger the account the more interest they can earn. This is another benefit to them keeping their money in savings instead of spending it.

Pay allowance in small bills – This is especially helpful for the younger kids who use their piggy banks to save money. If you pay allowance in smaller bills they can take a few dollars and put it in their piggy bank and then use a couple dollars to spend. This way they are saving some money before spending it all.

Save all Coins – This is a method that I still use to this day. Teach your children that when they buy something to round up to the dollar. The change they receive in coins will then go into their piggy bank. Coins add up and when you use this method of rounding up to the next dollar when purchasing the coins can add up quickly.

Kids money management – Let them make some decisions with their savings. I know this seems kind of scary, but as I  mentioned above let them make some mistakes now instead of making these mistakes as adults. Isn’t a $50.00 mistake much better than a $5,000.00 mistake? Of course. They will learn from their mistakes. If they spend money on something that lands up being a dud they will learn to think much harder and longer before they jump right into another purchase.

Teach them how to Balance their own account – Another responsibility of children having their own account is the balancing of it. Many adults don’t balance their checking accounts which leads to overdrafts. So, teaching your child how to balance their own account now is a good idea. And, the great thing about opening up a Children’s Savings Account is easier to learn how to balance a savings account then learning how to balance a checking account. So, if you use their saving account as a great balancing tutorial they will be pro’s by the time they get a checking account.

Play Money Games with children – Make believe games such as grocery store, restaurant and lemonade stand using fake money is a great way to teach children about money, giving change and not spending more than they have. Monopoly and other money games can teach children about spending and saving money as well. Plus, it can help them with deciding whether something is a good purchase or not.

Teach Kids Budget skills – Teaching kids budget skills is so important. I had mentioned how my mom used envelopes to budget spending when I was a child. I still use a modified version of this technique to this day. Using labeled envelopes is a great way to teach your child how to budget their money and save for certain things. For example, they could have envelopes labeled Savings, clothes, fun, new bike. That way they can split up their allowance into different envelopes so they know what they can spend and what needs to be saved.

Generic vs Name Brand – Most children want brand names. These are the brands that they see advertised on TV, in magazines and worn by the kids at school. But, many items can be bought non-brand name and be basically the same for a fraction of the cost. Teach your child to compare items to see what is the best purchase for their buck. I’m not saying to not buy any brand name. But, maybe buy a brand name shirt and non-brand name jean to save money.

Cash, Check and Credit Cards – Explain the differences of Cash, Check and Credit Cards to your child. Explain when it is the best time to use each for a purchase and why. For example,

Cash – When you have cash on hand. With cash there is never interest. The transaction is already paid for and done.
Check – When sending payments through the mail.
Credit Cards – When you don’t want to carry large sums of cash. Also, credit cards are used when traveling. Most hotels, airlines and rent-a-cars require a credit card. But, remind child that with each credit card purchase there will be considerable interest charged if not paid off within 30 days.

Grocery Shopping with Child – Take your child grocery shopping with you so the child can see how much money is spent a week on groceries. Have them cut-out/carry the coupons so they can see that every penny saved DOES count. Make sure to show the child the receipt so they can take a look at the amount spent and the amount saved with those coupons. It gives your child an idea for the future on how you can’t spend your entire paycheck on the fun things because groceries and other household bills will be a huge percentage of it.

How to weigh pro’s and con’s – Teach your child how to weigh the pro’s and con’s before any purchase. This is a skill that your child will use for years to come for so many things. On a sheet of paper write Pro’s on one side and Con’s on the other. List the reasons to purchase under Pro’s and reasons not to purchase under Con’s. Which side has more? The side with the most is probably the best decision.

Helping the Less Fortunate - This is sometimes the best way to teach your children the value of a dollar. Plus, it is also a wonderful way to show your children the importance of helping others. Teach your child to give items and time back to families and children who are less fortunate. They can give them the toys they no longer use before they purchase new ones. And, they can give outgrown clothes before purchasing new ones. Helping others less fortunate will help reinforce the value of the dollar.

Clever Methods Parents have used for Teaching Children Value of a Dollar

Sometimes thinking outside the box is the way to go. Check out some of these methods that parents have used to teach their children the value of a dollar.

Soda or Water at a Restaurant - One mom while taking her family out to eat tried this interesting method to get her young boys thinking about the value of a dollar. Normally, when she and her husband take their kids out to eat they all would get water to drink. Every once and a while for a treat she allowed her kids to get Sprite. But, on this particular outing she gave her kids a choice. They can have Sprite or they can have water and receive the $1.00 that the Sprite would have cost them. Two out of the three boys chose water and one boy chose to have Sprite. When they got home the two boys each got the $1.00 while the third didn’t. Amazingly enough, the boy who didn’t get the $1.00 wasn’t upset because he felt the Sprite was worth it. The next time they went they all chose water.

Match the Savings – Some parents match whatever their children put into their savings or into their piggy banks. This is a way to encourage their children to put their money into savings instead of spending it all.

Webkinz Method – For those of you who don’t already know Webkinz is a stuffed animal that comes with access to a virtual world online where you can buy housing, toys, clothes and other things for your virtual animal. You can earn money many different ways such as working and playing games. You can only spend what you have so it is an opportunity to teach your children money management and earning money through hard work. But, as CleverDude points out it is missing something – banks, investing and home bills. If Webkinz had these things it would be a great way to teach your children not only earning & spending, but also paying for necessities and saving for the future.

Chore Charts – For one mother whose son would throw a temper tantrum when he couldn’t get a toy he wanted at the store, she started the chore chart method. Each chart had weekly chores. With each chore chart completed for the week the little boy could go to the toy store and get a $3.00 toy car he wanted. Once when going to the toy store to get his $3.00 toy car he saw a toy car that was $15.00 that he wanted, but his mom said he couldn’t afford it.  He immediately asked how many chore charts that would be. When she told him 5 he had no complaints just determination to complete 5 chore charts. Within 5 weeks he was back at the toy store to purchase that car. He learned how putting away his money he could purchase something he really wanted….well worth all the work.

Four Quarters Kids Budget Game – A frugal dad teaches his daughter the value of a dollar by using 4 quarters. One quarter representing taxes, the 2nd quarter representing Housing, the 3rd quarter representing Transportation, and the 4th quarter representing Savings, Spending, and Giving.

Teaching Budget while shopping for kids clothing – One mother used shopping for clothing to teach budget to her child. As kids get older they love shopping for designer clothes and feel resentful when they can’t have things they “want”. But, since clothing is also a “need” shopping for clothing is the perfect time to teach budgeting skills to your child. See how this mother used kids shopping to teach budgeting skills to her child.

So as you can see there are many ways to teach your child the value of a dollar. Make sure to start early on to teach your kids money management skills and the chances that they will carry on these skills into their adult years are much more likely.

Addition Money Management Sources:

• Youth Saves
• The Mint

Photo above by theritters

I, for one take coupon shopping and saving money to the extreme! I have am the proud owner of a free website that teaches consumers how to make the best use of their coupons, and how to get stuff for free or at least on the cheap. Money saving tips go way beyond coupon clipping, and my tips have recently been featured on The Today Show as well as several media segments around the U.S. The need to share these money-saving ways as I discover them has me busy with a weekly podcast where I talk about different ways to save money and live better by doing so! For example, my best shopping trip scored my family $1880 in groceries for only $19 at Albertsons®. I was able to fill my pantry, donate to my church and also to local charities. The best part? I get to share the deals with my community both-on the air and online!

These are some tips that will help you live like a Consumer Queen yourself:

1. Look for coupons outside the Sunday paper -There are lots of other places you can find coupons. Look for coupons on store shelves, inside or attached to products, magazines (such as All You® with over $50 in coupons), coupons by mail and of course online. Some of these have a higher value, which equal more savings!
2. Be Armed – Know your stores coupon policy. Believe it or not some store employees and managers have no idea what their own coupon policy is and this can leave you frustrated and embarrassed at the check-out. Most stores have their coupon policy online. Print this out and keep it with you when you shop. Pretty soon you will find you will have no problems shopping with coupons at your favorite store.
3. Look for Piggy Back Offers – Piggy back offers are great. This simply means saving multiple times with multiple offers in just one purchase. One of the Hottest Piggy Back offers out there is from Fast Fixin®.
   • • Fast Fixins® has coupons on their website at www.fastfixin.com.
     • Print the coupons and save on your purchase.Then cut the UPC code from the bag.
     • For every 10 you mail in you will get a Free Product Coupon. (There is no limit on how many times you can do this
     • Then cut the Home Team Rewards Label from the bag. Participating schools get .30 for each label and they match the 1st $100. So while saving money you can help your local schools out too.

   For example:

   • Take advantage of store coupons and look for unadvertised sales- Most people do not know that you can use a store coupon on top of a manufacturers coupon to maximize your savings. More often than not you can actually get stuff free! Look for unadvertised specials and clearance prices while shopping. Pair them up with coupons and you will find yourself racking up the free and cheap.
   • Get Organized- Organization is the key. Make sure you find something that is comfortably large enough to use to store your coupons. I use a zippered binder and divide coupons up by categories. I use baseball card sleeves because I can usually fit 9 to a page so I can actually flip through and see what coupons I have at a glance therefore saving time and being able to take advantage of sales and coupons I didn’t know I had or forgot about.
   • Diversify your Search – Don’t forget Coupons are not just for the grocery store. You can find coupons for just about anything. Restaurants, Haircuts, Dept. Stores, Kids Activities, Entertainment, Auto care and more!
   • Research- Make sure the coupon information you receive is 100% legit. There are allot of sites out there that do not follow the best practice methods of couponing. I try to make this very clear my site’s on Coupon Information center at: http://www.cents-off.com.

Watch this news clip that covers some of the best deals I have come across:

See more videos of my shopping trips:

$200 Groceries for $30 at Homeland®
Went shopping with Queen Mum and got over $200 in Groceries for $30 http://www.consumerqueen.com

I have made it my mission to help consumers save money in today’s economy, and I encourage other moms not only to share the deals with others, but to give back to their community through food donations!

You can follow my updates on Twitter here: http://www.twitter.com/consumerqueen , or for more information on how to save big, check out my website at http://www.consumerqueen.com

Thank you, and happy saving!

The Consumer Queen
www.consumerqueen.com <http://www.consumerqueen.com/>
Melissa@ConsumerQueen.Com

In many areas around the globe Spring means that rain will fall more often than usual. And, the rain in Spring is important as our beautiful World needs it for its survival as we know it. Without Spring rain our beautiful flowers wouldn’t grow, the trees would begin to suffer and our land would become dry.

But, as a mom I know that when it rains it means that our children become crazy, rambunctious children. They begin to become stir-crazy from being in the house for too long. Children love being outside… they love running around, discovering nature and playing which helps exhaust their never ending energy a bit. But, when they are in the house they can’t do this. When the weather is bad for many days on end children begin climbing the walls and our stresses as a parent begin to climb.

But, unlike rain in the Fall and Winter…. rain in the Spring and Summer tends to be warmer. As long as the rain storm is not an electrical storm there is really no danger in letting your children get wet. As a matter of fact with the right kind of rain clothes your children can not only really enjoy themselves out in the rain, but they can also learn a lot from it.

Remember children have an easier time learning things when they are using more of their senses. They can learn a lot about the reason for rain, where the rain goes, why it is raining in the first place when they can experience it with all of their senses…. When they hear it, when they smell it, when they see it, when they feel it and possibly even when they taste it.

Rainy Day Activities – Inside and Out

Below you will find tons of Activities to do in the Rain. Some will be Rainy Day Activities that you can do outside, some of these activities will be for inside. And, I will also be adding some Educational Rainy Day Activities as well. The goal of this Rainy Day Activities post is to make sure that you no longer have to be discouraged if it rains. There are plenty of fun activities to do in the rain, both indoors and out.

Rainy Day Activities to do Outside

• Puddle Jumping – What child doesn’t like jumping in a puddle? And, as long as the rain is a warm rain…. let them. As a matter of fact…. jump in the puddles with them.
• Slip-n-Slide – Drag out the Slip-n-Slide that you are storing away until summer. Hook it up and let the children have a Rainy Day Slip-n-Slide party.
• Fishing – Take the kids fishing in the rain. From what I understand the fish bite better in the rain anyway.
• Blow Bubbles - Bubbles can be a lot of fun in the rain. Plus your kids won’t be all sticky from the bubbles because its stickiness will be washed off from the rain.
• Tub Toy Fun – Grab some of the kids’ bath tub toys and bring them outside in the rain with the kids. Let the children use their imaginations to figure out how to play with them outside in the rain.
• Hunt for Rainbows – One thing that is common in Spring and Summer time rainfalls are rainbows. Take the kids out in the rain on a sunny day and look for rainbows.
• Rain Painting - Help the children grab some rain water in bowls then help them carry the rain water to a covered porch. With paintbrushes let the children get artistic with the rainwater (not paint) using the porch’s floor as their mural. What kind of cool designs did they create?
• Water Balloons - The kids are already wet from the rain, so what is a little more. Bring out some balloons fill them water and let the kids throw them at one another.
• Mud Pies – Kids love getting dirty. And, making mud pies is the perfect way for kids to be creative and get their hands dirty. All the kids need to make their glorious mud pies is aluminum trays, mud, water and other miscellaneous ingredients such as sticks, pebbles and leaves. Just remember these Mud Pies are not edible. They are just extremely fun to make.
• Float away – Set a pot out in the rain and let the kids float things in it. See what floats and what doesn’t float. Do rocks float? Do leaves float? Do sticks float?
• Play Ball – Let the kids play some football, soccer, kickball or any other ball sport in the rain. The games are not only more challenging in the rain, but getting wet and possibly even muddy is an added bonus for any child.
• Walk in the Woods – Take the kids for a walk in the woods (as long as it is not a thunder/lightening storm). Ask the kids if they notice how the rain sounds against the trees. Ask them if they notice the difference between walking in the woods on a dry day and walking in the woods during the rain. Is it more difficult to walk in the woods in the rain?
• Powder Paint Art - This Rain activity is so much fun!! Put some powder tempera paint into shaker bottles. Outside on a porch let the kids sprinkle the powder paint on poster board and let the kids set the poster boards out in the rain. Depending how hard it is raining will determine how long you will leave their powdered art work outside in the rain. Once the artwork is where the kids want then to be bring them inside to dry. Beautiful, huh?
• Rain Olympic Challenges – Make a fun competition day by using the rain as part of the fun. Come up with clever competitions for the children to participate in such as hula hooping, water balloon toss and obstacle course fun. All of these activities being done in the rain. Super fun and super challenging. Sounds like a win-win event to me.
• Make a Wet Land – Take out some plastic creatures like toy dinosaurs, toy animals, toy soldiers and action figures. Create a wetland and let the plastic animals and beings have a blast.
• Save the Worms – When it rains worms come to the service and you will find them all over the sidewalk. The problem is that once the sidewalks dry up the worms that don’t make it back to the grass will die. So, why not pick up the worms you see on the sidewalks during the rain and place them back on the grass where they can survive.
• Roadway and Construction Site - Why not let the kids take their little cars and big trucks outside in the rain. Let them create roadways in the rain and build construction sites with their Tonka trucks. Tons of fun to be had with that.
• Swimming – Again, I want to preface this with you have got to make sure that the rainstorm is just a rainstorm. This activity should not be done if there is a chance that the storm is an electrical storm (lightening storm). There is nothing like a hot summer rain while swimming in the pool. The raindrops make a nice soothing sound on the pool and since you are already wet you don’t have to worry about getting more wet, right?

Rainy Day Activities to Do Inside

Of course, there are tons of activities you can do inside on a rainy day. The activities below are just a teeny tiny sliver of the activities you can do. But, this should give you an idea…

• Board Games
• Build a Fort
• Bring out the Crafts
• Movies
• Got to a Museum
• Clean / Organize the house
• Write stories together
• Bake Cookies
• Have a Scavenger Hunt
• Go to the Library
• Bake a Cake
• Make Home Movies
• Have an Indoor Picnic
• Fingerplays

Educational Rainy Day Activities

• Rain Catcher – Make a rain catcher to see how much rain has fallen during that particular rainstorm.
• Crock Pot Cloud – Using a crock pot you can teach your children a little bit about what the clouds do and how it rains. Fill a crock pot half the way with water. After the water has been in there for a couple of hours and you see the water condensing on the lid bring the children over to the crock pot (being extra careful that they keep their distance from the hot crock pot). Once the children are in watching view of the crock pot show them the condensation on the crock pot and let them know that it is the same as a cloud being full of raindrops. Lift and tilt the lid and show them what happens – the rain begins to fall.
• What Floats? – Let a pot fill up with water outside while it is raining. Have children place an object in the pot filled with water to see if certain things floats or sinks? Let them tell you what they think will happen to that object before they place it in the water. Were they right?
• Evaporation – Evaporation is the process of water becoming vapor. This process can be confusing for children. But, one way to explain it is to perform this easy activity. Help your child pour water into a jar or glass. Take a marker and mark a line where the water is. Place the glass on the windowsill. Have the child check the glass every day. What does the child notice is happening with the water level? This is a great time to explain evaporation in further detail.
• Rain in different Lands – Go to the Library or search the internet with your children about different areas around the World and the amount of rain they get. Show them pictures of the different ways people have to live because of the rain in their area. For example, people who live in the Amazon compared with people who live in Asia.
• Dirty Rain – Collect Rain in two different containers. Place a coffee filter on top of the one container and the 2nd container use nothing covering the top. When it is done raining bring both containers in. Show the kids what the filter looks like on the one container. It will probably be pretty dirty depending on where you live. The larger the city you live in the dirtier the filter will be. Explain to them that raindrops start off clean, but get dirty when traveling through our atmosphere because of all the air pollution.
• Rain Changes Things – It is true. Rain does change things. During a nice spring or summer rain take a walk with your children and have them take notice of things during the rain. Tell them to use all of their senses to experience the changes.
• Be a Water Spy – Let the children investigate the rain and see if they can figure out where the rain goes during and after a storm.
• What do Animals do? - Let the children investigate to see which animals don’t mind the rain and which animals hide from the rain.

I asked some of my friends on Twitter as to what activities they use to play in the rain as a child. This is the responses I got….

As you can see from the responses I received on Twitter  rain, mess, mud and creatures were super important substances in enjoying the fun of playing in the rain. Kids love experiencing things with all of their senses. And, I think that adding some rain to their outside play can increase the fun levels. Kids love getting messy and the added rain to the outside dirt creates the substance of pleasurable mud. Mud is messy, mud is moldable and mud is usually off limits. And, we all know how children love doing things that they feel they are not normally allowed to do. And from the answers I received from my Twitter friends, getting messy, building things and playing with creatures equals tons of fun in the Spring/Summer rain season.

And, I also want to mention that as long as children aren’t getting a chill outside that playing in the rain can be safe. Make sure to dress your child appropriately to play in the rain. Clothes such as a raincoat, poncho, boots or goulashes are perfect. And, once the child is done playing in the rain make sure they quickly take off all clothes that are wet and if need be let them take a nice warm bath. You can even warm them up from the inside out by offering them tea, hot chocolate or a cup of soup.

So as long as their is no chance of lightening and the weather is warm enough it is pretty safe to let your children play outside in the rain. As a matter of fact, enjoy the rain with them. Adding a bit of rain water to children’s play is a sure way to create lasting memories, some education and a ton of fun.

Thank you Alysson Fergison, Steve Plunkett, steaprok and Ruud Hein for anwering my question regarding Childhood Rain Day Fun via Twitter.

Top Image by woodleywonderworks

It’s Springtime and when I think of Spring I think of grass growing, trees getting their leaves back, flowers blossoming, animals running around, kids playing outside. Basically, when I think of Spring I think of “Life”.

With that being said I’m going to write about something that combines two spring like topics….

Life & Gardening.

Okay, before you start think I have absolutely gone bazerk let me explain.

There is a lesson that every parent should teach their children. It is the lesson of Respecting other Living things.

This lesson can be a very tough one to teach, but when you start teaching this lesson early and continue throughout the child’s life you have a better chance of raising happy human beings that won’t take life for granted. And, using Gardening can help you teach your children this life lesson without them knowing that you are teaching them any lesson at all.

Why does gardening Work in helping teach children to Respect Living Creatures?

Plants start from seeds and with love, nurture and food they grow into healthy plants. However, just like with any other living thing, if they are neglected they will not thrive and they might even lose their life. Your children will learn first hand the reward they get from taking care of the plants (they will see them turn into beautiful thriving plants) and they will learn the sadness that comes when they lose something they didn’t take proper care of. It already sounds like life, doesn’t it? This is why gardening works in teaching your child to respect life.

Children can learn many basic life skills from helping you care for the garden.

Many of the same things human need to survive so do plants. This again is why gardening is such a great way to teach children about respecting living things… because of our survival similarities.

Things Plants Need to Survive

• Plants need water just like we do.
• Plants need Nutrients just like we do. But, we get our nutrients from the food we eat… plants get their nutrients from within the soil. They call this fertilizer.
• Sunlight – Plants get their energy from the sunlight
• Plants need air, but not for oxygen, but for Carbon Dioxide. When they use Carbon Dioxide they spit out oxygen. So, we need plants in our life because they produce the oxygen we use.

How to Use Gardening to teach Children to Respect Living Things

• Teach by Example – By your kids seeing you gardening and raising / caring for plant your children will do the same.
• Start with seeds instead of buying kits - This way your children will see the growth of a plant from a simple seed.
• Separate parts of the garden for each child – this will be easier for them to see the fruit of their labor. Part of the gardening process and the learning experience is the rewarding feelings your children will get when they see their plants growing well. Separating helps the children be able to easily detect which plants are their plants.
• Give the children their own Gardening Tools to take care of their portion of the Garden – Not only should the tools be for their size, but them having their own tools reminds them that this is “their” responsibility.
• Take lots of pictures of the Garden’s progress - Sometimes when you are watching over your garden daily it is difficult to see the progress. However, with frequent pictures you can see the progress from one week to the next. Progress reminds the children their hard work is paying off. The pictures also remind them that you are proud of them, and pictures also gives them bragging rights. Can you see how these pictures can be a motivator? This will help them stay involved with their project.
• Kids Love pulling Weeds – But at the very beginning it is very difficult for children to determine what is a weed and what is the plant. One idea to fix this problem is to place something around the seed that was planted that won’t damage the plant itself. Some parents use a paper cup with the bottom cut out of it to place around the seed. This way they know anything growing around the cup is, in fact, weeds and should be pulled.
• Gardens let them learn by using their Senses – Children learn and enjoy life using all of their senses. And, they will learn far more by touching, smelling — and in the case of vegetable gardening, tasting than in any book. However, you should always be supervising what it is their touching or putting in their mouths.

Discuss the Circle of Life

For children that are old enough to understand the concept of the “Cycle of Life” discussing it during gardening is perfect. Just like humans, plant life is precious. It can come and it can go. If a plant is shown neglect it will not be able to thrive. Without plants humans wouldn’t be able to survive. We need the oxygen the plants produce. Humans eat plants…. we thrive on the nutrients plants make. Hence, the cycle of life. We need each other on this earth. And, life is not something anyone should be taking for granted.

What Skills can Gardening Teach Children

• Patience
• Perseverance
• Nurturing
• Respect
• Empathy
• Compassion
• Sense of Empowerment
• Pride
• Moral Character
• Teaches the Cycle of Life
• Responsibility
• Self Confidence
• Caring

All of the above skills are skills needed to help your child grow into a loving, caring and hard working individual.

Keep in mind that when something is fully grown in the garden these items can be shared to put smiles on other people’s faces. Such as flowers given to friends and loved ones; Or, fruits and vegetables for the hungry. As you can see, yet another great way to teach your children to respect and care for living things.

By gardening you and your children will be playing an active role in making the World a more beautiful place. So, you want your child to learn to respect living things???? Teach them to Garden.

Above Image by foundphotoslj