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 What things do you or your kids do for Dad on Father’s Day?
Since we asked the question about Mother’s Day back in May, it’s only fitting to cover Father’s Day this month. This week’s question of the week: Do you and your family have a special way you celebrate dad? Do you focus more on your own dad or your child’s dad? Do you have a big family party, complete with backyard barbecue or do you take dad out for brunch? Do you give father’s day gifts? Mama wants to know how you celebrate dad on Father’s Day!
This year for Father’s Day gifts we made an apron for dad to use while grilling. It’s covered in my son’s foot and hand prints using fabric paint. We also did the traditional shirt and tie gift! (Boring, but really useful for his job.) We haven’t settled on plans for the day, but I’ve noticed that many restaurants are featuring brunches or special dinner menus, much like mother’s day. We often have a family cook out with our extended family.
Please share your tips or plans for Father’s Day here, or if you have a favorite Father’s Day memory, share that as well!
 This week’s featured mama of the week is Sharon, the owner and creator of Mama’s Lil Guide, a local online and printed publication that features information for area moms, such as events in Bucks County. She is the mother to three children, ages 20, 17 and 12. Sharon’s guide is a new business for her, but she isn’t new to the world of business. Sharon said, “I was in the corporate world for 22 years as a account executive in the Mortgage Industry, but was laid off 3 years ago. The industry took a hit and I could not find suitable work that allowed me the flexibility I had before with my kids. As the kids get older, I felt, it was even more important for me to be home for them after school. So, I created Mama’s Lil Guide, now I can work around my children’s schedule, be there for them when they need me and still have my own business.” She created her guide after receiving compliments from other parents for years because of the wonderful ideas she had for things to do with children and the fun birthday party plans she had. One night she couldn’t sleep because she had so many ideas for her soon-to-be created business in her head. She got up at one in the morning and wrote out all of her ideas with pen and paper. Mama’s Lil Guide was born.
Social media tools, such as Facebook, have been helpful to Sharon in regards to networking with other moms. She said, “Facebook has enabled me to reach out to a lot of fabulous women in business including Chrissy from Mamas Little Helper. It is amazing to me how many of us can connect through social media and help each other grow our businesses. We have our own mommy community and everyone is here for each other. I don’t know what I would do without all these fabulous women I have met.” You can also find Mama’s Lil Guide on Twitter, to keep up to date with events.
Sharon is the mom to teens, which has been her biggest parenting challenge. Her advice regarding parenting a teen is “listen, listen, listen. Teenagers just want to be heard, not told what to do. And you will be amazed if you just hear what they have to say, and not try to tell them what to do, how they seem to figure it all out on their own.” Sharon finds the biggest benefit to parenting is the unconditional love received from her kids and the joy of seeing them incorporate the values she taught them into their lives. Those values include teaching her children that they can be, do or have anything they want, in they just believe in themselves. She said, “It was when my oldest was going to college and I told him this same statement, when I had my ah hah moment of Why am I not following my own advice? Then I did.” Sharon also teaches her children to be self sufficient and work for what they want in life. She doesn’t believe in giving her children everything they want, and instead encourages them to work to earn money for the things they desire. For example, she mentioned that her “two older children have had jobs since they were 14. My son purchased his own first car when he was 16. My 17 year old daughter works and is saving for her car, and my 12 year old is an entrepreneur in her own right. When she wants something, she either sells lemonade, or watches the neighborhood cats and dogs and has saved up to buy her own ipod, laptop and is now saving for an IPad that I know she will have before I have one. Believe me I was spoiling my kids when I was in the mortgage industry, because I could and a lot of it was guilt from working so much. But the best thing that could have happened to me was loosing that job. It humbled our whole family and made us see what was really important.”
When asked about what advice she would give to new parents, Sharon replied, “I say it all the time, I wish I knew then, what I know now, And it is this. Don’t put yourself last. I know it is hard, but we as Mothers have to take care of ourselves in order to be better mothers . Exercise, Be healthy, and make sure you give yourself me time, to do the things you love. If you are happy and don’t loose yourself, you will give your kids the greatest gift of all. Showing them that happiness with yourself first, makes happiness for all those around you. ”
A favorite meal to make on Sundays at Sharon’s home is spaghetti with meatballs. She also shared the following recipe with Mama’s Little Helper readers:
Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
- 2 c (16 oz) sour cream
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
- 2 t poppy seeds
- 2 1/2 c cubed cooked chicken
- 1 pkg Ritz crackers (about 32)
- 1 stick butter, melted
In a bowl, combine the sour cream, soup and poppy seeds. Stir in chicken. Pour into greased 11 x 7 baking dish. Combine the cracker crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle over top. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Says serves 4 but depending on serving size could feed more. Great with a salad or green beans. If you find the sour cream mixture to be too rich, use only 1 cup of sour cream (it will still make enough to mix with the chicken) – or swap out the sour cream entirely for a second can of Cream of Chicken soup.
If you would like to contact Sharon about Mama’s Lil Guide, email her at Sharon@mamaslilguide.com
 Sharon and her kids! Thank you Sharon for sharing a bit of your life with Mama’s Little Helper!
If you know a mom you would like to see featured, or would like to be featured yourself, please contact Diane@mamaslittlehelper.org.
With Mother’s Day in just a couple of weeks (May 8, 2011 in case you were wondering,) there are many ways for your little ones to do something nice for their favorite mom. With two weeks to plan, mom’s can start dropping some hints with how they would like to celebrate their special day. How would you like to spend Mother’s Day this year? Or, how was your favorite Mother’s Day spent?
Here are a few ideas to pass along to the kids and other helper adults as hints for celebrating Mother’s Day without spending money:
- Breakfast in bed is not overrated! Kids can make a simple breakfast of some fruit and toast or muffin without much help. Or a helpful adult can aid kids with preparing something more elaborate.
- A homemade card or drawing for mom is very much appreciated! Older kids can help younger kids with their artwork and spelling.
- Make a collage for mom. Cut out pictures and words she likes from magazines or print photos to use to create a memorable keepsake.
- Clean and tidy up the toys! Even little kids can help with this.
- Invite mom to go on a walk or hike at a local park, or even around the neighborhood. Exploring the world at a slower pace can be a nice change and gives you time for an uninterrupted conversation.
- Record mom’s favorite movie or show on the DVR and leave her alone in quiet to watch with her favorite snack!
- Wash the outside and clean up the inside of mom’s car, throwing out the trash and broken crayons/toy parts. Leave a little happy love note on the front seat for mom.
- Make up a coupon booklet for mom. Include coupons for a “Day of no arguments,” ”Clean up the toys/bedrooms,” and “No whining day!”
- Plan a picnic or snack to enjoy outside with mom…in the backyard, at a local park, or local garden.
- Put on a little play or show for mom. Act out a favorite storybook that can include all the kids in the family. Clean up afterwards!
This week’s featured mom of the week on Mama’s Little Helper is Tina, the author behind the blog Life Without Pink, “a mom trying to survive in a testosterone filled world.” She is also the co-founder of Girls Lunch Out, a social networking group for women. She is the mom to two boys, ages 5 and 2 1/2 years….hence the testosterone filled life! Her boys keep her busy with their many adventures, including their love of playing outside, flying like super heroes and playing games. Seeing her boys grow, learn, and try out new things, along with viewing the world from their eyes, are some of the things she loves about being a parent. Like so many moms, Tina finds it challenging to balancing work and family. She stated that she has accepted that she can’t do it all and focuses on taking one day at a time. She said, “My boys are demanding little guys so at times it can become hard and frustrating. That’s when I take a deep breathe and try to refocus. Being a parent is the hardest job I have ever done, but one I would never trade for the world.”
Tina is currently a WAHM (work at home mom.) Prior to parenthood, she worked as a Marketing Manager for an International Chemical Company. She worked part time after her first son was born but decided shortly after the birth of her second son that she wanted to stay home with her boys. To keep busy and meet other moms in her community she started a local events company. There she arranged luncheons, toddler events and workshops for parents in her area. From there, she discovered blogging. What was originally a hobby has lead into a full-time job working from home. Tina used social media as a way to find employment too. She mentioned that she landed two of her jobs through Twitter. She said, “It is a great way to connect with brands and develop a relationship with them. One of the companies I am currently working with now, followed my blog and made a few comments to me that they were laughing at some of my stories. We tweeted often and next thing I knew I started working with them!” Tina also maintains Facebook pages for her blogs, where you can connect with her at Life Without Pink and Girls Lunch Out. As mentioned she is on Twitter, where she uses the handles @lifewithoutpink and @girlslunchout.
Working at home with two kids keeps Tina’s family busy. She shared a family favorite crock-pot meal with Mama’s Little Helper readers that couldn’t be any easier! To have fun with her family, Tina shared that they enjoy having picnics at the park, where her boys love to play. “Its a great way to get outdoors and enjoy the nice weather in the spring/summer!” The family also loves having movie night. They share HUGE bowls of popcorn, move the furniture out of the way so they spread out a big blanket in the middle of the floor to sit on. The boys get to choose the movie for the evening. Tina hopes this is a family tradition that they will always remember. Without her kids, Tina likes to relax by watching reality TV. She stated, “I love watching reality TV, I am seriously a reality TV junkie! I also just started working out again {after a LONG break} and it makes me feel good about myself. I feel energized!”
Tina talked about the values that she wants to teach her boys, including growing up to be strong, confident and kind men. To do this, she and her husband let the boys make their own choices from provided options. This helps them develop self-confidence. Tina finds herself working with her boys to develop patience, a hard task for two young boys! This is an ongoing lesson for the boys, who like most boys, are patient some times, and other times, not so much. Tina remarked that she “used to jump up and get what they wanted as soon as they asked but quickly realized this wasn’t teaching them to be patient. Now if I am busy I tell them to give me a minute and I will help them.”
When asked about what tip she would give new parents, Tina said, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help! When I had my first son I thought I could do it all. I never took people up on their offer to help me but the second time around I wised up. Its ok to ask for help, its not easy especially being a new parent. People are offering to help because they love and care about you, so take advantage of it when you can.” That is wise advice!
Thank you Tina for sharing yourself, your parenting methods and recipe with Mama’s Little Helper!
 Tina from Life Without Pink and Girls Lunch Out Know a mom you’d like to see featured here? Please send an email with your suggestions to Diane@mamaslittlehelper.org.
This week Mama is wondering about places to eat out with kids. Not just fast-food style places, but all kinds of restaurants. Mama has an ongoing, updated list of places where kids can eat free. Many restaurants offer kids menus, some with better options than others. So, where is your favorite restaurant to take your kiddos to eat? Please provide location, if you can, so others can check the places out themselves.
Recently our extended family took my father out for his birthday. There were 11 of us all together, with five kids, ages 8, 6, 3, and twin 2 year olds. We had lunch at Sweet Lorraine’s in Peddler’s Village and it went amazingly well! The kids menu there has many options for all sorts of appetites; even my picky eater was able to make a choice. Kids meals averaged at about $5 and included a beverage with refills, a small basket of celery and carrot sticks with dips, and a coloring page with crayons and wikki stix. I wish I had remembered our server’s name, because she was incredible! Not only did she not seem annoyed/frazzled by the number of little ones in our party, she was extremely accommodating to our needs and even checked to make sure no one had any food allergies before she brought out the veggies with dips (one was peanut butter.) She was just an excellent server all around ( I suspect she is a mom too.) Everyone enjoyed their meal and the birthday luncheon was a success! I’ve been to Sweet Lorraine’s several times before and always enjoy it, as does my three year old!
A local casual restaurant that we used to enjoy going to because they had a great kids menu that was filled with healthy and organic options was Jason’s Deli, but alas, it shut down with the economy issues. We are still in search for a local casual place for a healthy and quick meal with our little one. This mama is looking forward to learning from our readers where they like to go to eat with kids! Please share in the comments below!
Do you have an idea for the Question of the Week? Send an email to Diane@mamaslittlehelper.org. Thanks!
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion last week about half-birthdays here on Mama’s Little Helper, on our Facebook page and on Twitter. It was great reading some of the creative ways to celebrate those winter birthdays.
This week’s question: How much TV do you allow your children to watch and how do you control what they watch?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics:
- The average child watches 3 hours of TV a day — 2 hours of quality programming is the maximum recommended by the Academy.
- Active play time is needed to develop mental, physical and social skills.
- Children who watch violence on TV are more likely to display aggressive behavior.
- Young children don’t know the difference between programs and commercials.
In our house, with the exception of this past extreme winter, we try to limit TV viewing to about a half hour in the morning and an hour or so while mom makes dinner, although there are many nights my son is so involved in play that we don’t have it on. When the weather is lousy and we don’t have a planned activity, I allow one movie in the afternoon for quiet time if needed. We mainly watch PBS. Very recently he showed an interest in Disney Junior and Imagination Movers, so we have added that to our DVR recording schedule. My son is three, so as he grows older I presume this type of viewing schedule will change. He is easily distracted away from TV viewing with books, games and imaginative play. What do homes with a variety of ages of children do? Do you set time limits, or not? No judgement here, just curious about everyone’s opinions!
Feel free to join this discussion here by leaving a comment!
Do you have a suggested question or topic for this weekly feature? Email your ideas to diane@mamaslittlehelper.org. Thanks!!
Mama’s Little Helper has a new weekly column called Featured Mom of the Week. Each week we plan to post an interview with either an area mama, mom business owner or a mom blogger who will share a bit of her mothering tips and wisdom of how she makes her life work for her. We welcome your feedback on this and would love for you to nominate yourself or a mom friend who you think would have an interesting “mama story” to share. These interviews are just brief snapshots into these mamas’ lives, so they’re certainly are not complete. We hope that you pick up a tip or just smile at hearing how another mom handles her life.
Our first featured mama of the week is Vera Sweeney, whose blog is Lady and the Blog. There she writes about family, food, and fashion. As the mother of two children, Natalie age 5 and Liam age 3, along with being a successful blogger and website owner, she is one busy mama! Her other blog is I’m Not Obsessed, which is a family and work friendly celebrity gossip blog. Vera is also the co-founder of Getting Gorgeous Events.
When asked about what she enjoys most as being a parent, Vera replied that her children keep her in the present. ”It’s so easy to get caught up in work /life stress, but my children pull me out of that and bring me back to the moment. Sometimes I just watch them as they play together and realize how very lucky I am. I get to relive life all over again through their experiences.” Every parent faces challenges when trying to do it all. Vera mentioned that she expects too much of herself. She said, “as a work-at-home mom, it’s almost impossible to do both jobs perfectly. There’s always something that ends up getting less of your attention. As someone who is VERY TYPE A, this is a struggle because I WANT to be able to do it all… and do it all at 100%. It took several years for me to accept that this will never be. So, recently I’ve pushed back a bit from work because in the end, I need to be available for my children and am lucky enough to have the opportunity to be so.”
As stated, Vera is a WAHM (work at home mom) which means she is always working! Vera and her husband run three websites: two of which she founded: I’m Not Obsessed and Lady and the Blog and one of which they recently acquired: BabyRazzi.com. Vera says, “I then have partners for 2 other properties: Getting Gorgeous Events and Gift Guide Girls. It’s a constant challenge to manage it all, but I am very lucky to be surrounded by such intelligent and hard working individuals. I would NOT be able to do it all alone.” Vera stated that she shares childcare responsibilities with her husband . When she is working, he stays with the children and vice versa.
I asked Vera to describe some important life messages or values she teaches her children and how she implements them. She said that the main message that she and her husband make “SURE” to pass along to their children regularly is that they are a family and they love one another. She said, “I cannot tolerate when the children fight. Sure, kids will be kids and when they get tired – it can be messy. HOWEVER, when I see one of my children trying to hurt the other by saying mean things, we have an immediate sit down. I remind them that we are a team and that no matter what – they are best friends. Love is the most important lesson that a parent has to teach their children. If my kids grow up knowing how to love and how to respect one another as well as their peers, I will have done right by them.”
In regards to teaching her children about perseverance, Vera commented that she makes sure to be encouraging when her children are having difficulty with something, and won’t just do it for them, despite that being hard to do. “Sometimes I just want to rip that pen right out of my daughter’s hand and do her homework for her, but in the end that doesn’t really help, does it? We applaud their efforts and continue to work on tasks they have trouble with,” said Vera.
Playing board games together is a favorite family activity in the Sweeney home. Since Liam is 3, their options are limited at this moment. ”However, we still sit down and have game night whenever we can. Even if that means that we end up playing the same 4 games over and over again. LOL!”
I asked Vera to share her favorite family recipe with Mama’s Little Helper readers. She sent me a link for this yummy sounding dish, Summer Pasta, her favorite meal that she makes often. Vera enjoys cooking and regularly posts her recipes online for viewers to print at her Inside the Kitchen part of her blog. Check it out for some new recipes for your family.
And what tip would Vera give new parents about what she wished she knew before she had kids? “I would tell new parents to enjoy every moment of infancy. With Natalie, I would just try to get her to stop crying, eat her food and go to sleep. I was so overwhelmed and I just couldn’t get used to the chaos. With Liam, I didn’t rush to do anything. If he cried, I wouldn’t panic. I would just soothe him and try to remember the moment because I knew when he grew up, he wouldn’t need me to “fix” it as much. I lived every moment like it was my last and I still do to this day.”
Vera can be found on Twitter and Facebook. She remarked that she used to be obsessed with Twitter when it first came out, but as time goes on she has less time to spend online. She does appreciate the benefits of social media for her websites. Vera can be contacted via email at veryvera@gmail.com.
Thank you, Vera, for sharing a bit of your life with Mama’s Little Helper readers!
If you know a mama who you would like to see featured on this weekly column, please either leave a comment below or send an email with details to Diane@mamaslittlehelper.org or leave a message on mama’s contact page.
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