Tag Archives: parenting

Do’s and Don’ts: Shopping With Preschoolers

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Child driving shopping cart in Japan

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Although we’d all probably like to leave our children at home when we go shopping, this is not always possible.  So what can we do to make sure our shopping trips with preschoolers go as smoothly and safely as possible.  Many of the following tips are from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  I posted this back in November…but I see so many lost children, children climbing on shopping carts, etc. when I am at the store, I thought I should bring the article back again. 🙂

DO’S FOR SHOPPING WITH PRESCHOOLERS

  • Do keep children with you at all times.
  • Do accompany and supervise children in public restrooms.
  • Do have a plan in case you become separated…just like a fire safety plan which should be discussed at home and practiced routinely.
  • Do teach your child to look for people who can help…a uniformed security officer, salesperson with a name badge or another mother with children.
  • Do remind children to remain in the area where they became separated…there is a wonderful picture book story that addresses this issue…DON’T WORRY, I’LL FIND YOU by Anna Grossnickle Hines.  When Sarah and her mother go the mall to buy Sarah some clothes, Sarah insists on taking her doll.  When Sarah realizes she has left her doll at one of the stores, she runs to find it.  Now, however, she doesn’t know where her mother is.  Sarah remembers her mother’s instructions to “stay put” and so she remains  at the toy store and soon mother and child are reunited.  Read this story with your preschooler before your shopping trip and discuss the plan of action in case you become separated.

DON’TS FOR SHOPPING WITH PRESCHOOLERS

  • Don’t dress children in clothing that displays their first or last name…this may give strangers an opportunity to start a conversation with your child.
  • Don’t leave children in the toy area of a store expecting store personnel to supervise your child while you shop in another area of the store.
  • Don’t allow young children to shop on their own to purchase gifts for friends or family members.
  • Don’t shop with your child if you feel you will be distracted.  Try to make other childcare arrangements…perhaps you and a friend who also has young children can take turns watching the children while the other goes shopping for a morning or afternoon.
  • Don’t allow children to push the shopping cart if there is a younger sibling in it…and don’t allow children to hang on the cart, even if it is empty…too many accidents occur when shopping carts tip over.

Important tip: Make sure you wipe off the cart with a sanitizer (many stores provide them near the carts now) and clean your child’s hands when you leave the store.  Tawna at Random Thoughts, Advice, Gripes, etc. http://btrbb.blogspot.com/2011/02/prefenz-botanicals-alcohol-free.html is offering a giveaway of a great hand santizer product.  Head on over and enter…just a few more days!

For busy parents, online shopping can be wonderful option.  You can do it in the evening when the children are sleeping and avoid the crowds and parking hassles.  If you do go out shopping with your children, keep these tips in mind.  You’ll be glad you did!  If you need a gift for a parent, grandparent, teacher or babysitter of a preschooler, I’d like to suggest my new book, SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SLEF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING.  This great resource pinpoints 100 picture books every young child should hear and provides a story summary, gentle parenting tip, eco-friendly craft project and child-friendly healthful cooking activity for each   recommended title.   Hop over to my website: www.positiveparentalparticipation.com for a half-price special! 

Quotable Timeless Tuedays: LOVE

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Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan in 1898. On the...

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“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength…while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” –Lao Tzu

Have you ever read accounts of Herculean feats of strength and courage?  I’ve come across news stories that relate how a mother lifted a car that had rolled on her child…and how a husband swam miles in frigid ocean waters supporting his wife until they were rescued.  I truly believe that love gives us strength and courage.

“You come to love, not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.”  -Sam Keen

As a young girl, I remember sitting with friends, talking about what each of us was looking for in the “perfect” husband…did you have a list of attributes you wanted in a mate?  What was on your list?  The thing is, there is a perfect person for everyone…their imperfections may bother others, but not you.

“I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.”  -Roy Croft

We are made better by those we cherish…because we strive to be the best we can be for them…we wish them to think well of us and to respect us.

“In real love, you want the other person’s good.  In romantic love, you want the other person.”  -Margaret Anderson

When you really love someone, you want the best for them and you are willing to give them anything you have, if they need it.  My husband and I enjoy sharing things…meals at restaurants, good books, our lives.  I know some people don’t like to share food, even with those they love, but I’ll never forget an experience we had at a Dunkin Donuts in Connecticut over 35 years ago.  We had been out all day shopping and needed to have a bite to eat before we drove home.  We only wanted to grab something quickly, so we pulled into a Dunkin Donuts and went inside.  Sitting down at the counter, we noticed the special of the day…soup, bread, coffee and a donut.  Since I LOVE soup and hate coffee, and my husband LOVES coffee and wasn’t in the mood for soup, we decided to order the special and share it.  The woman behind the counter got our food and set it before us.  The soup was delicious and I pushed it closer to my husband, asking him if he would like to have a taste.  As he picked up the spoon, the woman behind the counter remarked, “That’s disgusting!!!!  I’ve been married 30 years and I’ve never shared ANYTHING with my husband.”

I think that was one of the saddest thing I have ever heard. 

“Love is comprised of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”  -Aristotle

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and across the web there were stories, pictures and messages about love.

I think the most important message we need to keep close to our hearts is that we shouldn’t wait until Valentine’s Day or any other “special” day to say “I love you” to people we care about. 

I will end with a quote by someone who couldn’t see or hear or speak…but her words create a beautiful picture in our minds and epitomize what love is all about.

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt with the heart.”  –Helen Keller

Valentine’s Day has come and gone…but children need to hear the words…I love you…on a daily basis.  Stop by tomorrow for: What’s In Your Child’s Bookcase Wordy Wednesday.  I’ll be reviewing a picture book I recommend in my new parenting book, SHOW ME HOW!  BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING.

Make-A-Meal Mondays: Valentine’s Day Special

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Esther Howland Valentine, circa 1850: "We...

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Do you remember your first Valentine’s Day card?   Was it from a relative or a best-friend?  How about your first “love interest” Valentine?  Do you remember crafting Valentines when you were a child…cutting the red construction paper into heart shapes and gluing bits of ribbon or lace onto the handmade card?

The history of Valentine’s Day is clouded by various legends, but its roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration.  Pope Gelasius I made this pagan festival into a Christian feast day in 496 and he declared February 14 to be Saint Valentine’s Day.

However, it wasn’t until the 14th Century that Chaucer linked St. Valentine’s Day with romance.  In 1381, he composed a poem in honor of the engagement of Richard II of England and Anne of Bohemia.  “The Parliament of Fowls” spoke of the royal engagement, the mating of fowls and St. Valentine’s Day.

By the 18th Century, gift-giving and the exchange of handmade cards had become a tradition in England.  However, it wasn’t until the 1850’s that the tradition of Valentine’s cards became widespread in the United States when Esther Howland, a native of Worcester, Massachusetts and a graduate of Mt. Holyoke, began to mass produce Valentine’s Day cards.

Do you still make your Valentine’s Day cards by hand? 

A lot of people do try to make something special to celebrate this day of love.  If you pass a bakery or candy shop, you will, no doubt, see windows and shelves filled with cakes, cookies, cupcakes and elegant confections in the shape of hearts, bows, and cupids.

For a healthier take on Valentine’s Day food, why not try this lovely HEARTS OF MOZZARELLA SALAD.  This recipe is from the SHOW ME HOW! book, which provides 100 child-friendly healthful cooking activities.  You can try it for lunch today or as a side salad for dinner.

HEARTS OF MOZZARELLA SALAD

You will need: 1 chunk of mozzarella cheese (about 1 lb), 2 Roma tomatoes, 1 Tb basis (dry or fresh), several leaves of romaine lettuce, 1 Tb balsamic vinegar, 1 Tb olive oil and 1 Tb Parmesan cheese.

1.  Cut mozzarella into 8 slices, each about ¼ inch thick.  Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter or a knife to cut each slice into a heart shape.  Put the excess cheese in a plastic bag in the fridge to save for topping on pizza, etc.

2.  Slice each tomato into 4 slices and place a tomato slice on top of each cheese heart.

3.  Arrange on a platter of lettuce leaves and sprinkle each serving with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil and Parmesan cheese.

I hope you’ll stop by tomorrow for a bunch of wonderful love quotations in Quotable Timeless Tuesday.

May you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day…filled with Sunshine (even if it is raining) and Love.