May 22, 2012

I read this article from the Washington Post on May 17 and just had to add it to my blog.  I had 3 very athletic brothers growing up and always hated the “smell of boys”.  I vowed when I was a mother I would NEVER  allow “Stinky Boy Smell” into my home.   I feel rotten for judging my mother for all those years and realize this is an ongoing battle when you have  boys.   Now as a mother of 2 boys,  “Stinky Boy Smell” is a unwelcome visitor in my own home.   After confessing to my friends , it turns out it is battle we must all fight  – to include actress, Jada Smith.   Mother to Mother, Counselor to Au Pair – here are tips to share as we join forces in a common goal!

By Megan Buerger

Does your house reek of smelly feet? Here are three household ingredients that will help get rid of the funky odor.

Baking Soda: Shake a small amount of baking soda into a pair of shoes and leave it overnight. The next morning, toss the powder into a trash can and wipe the shoe with a dry cloth. Baking soda can also come in handy with stinky socks. Just fill the toes with a quarter-sized amount of baking soda and tie them into a knot. Stuff the socks into the shoes and let them sit overnight.

Fabric Softener Sheets: Stuff a fabric softener sheet into each shoe and leave for 12 hours. For gym bags, stick a dryer sheet into the bag and leave until the smell has subsided. Many athletes always carry dryer sheets in their gym bags!

Salt: That funky odor comes from sweaty feet. Sweat provides a hot, moist environment for bacteria to grow, and these bacteria cause sneakers to smell. Soak up some of this moisture by sprinkling a teaspoon of salt in your shoes. For this, you may want to try scrubbing out the shoes ahead of time.

ON THE ROAD
Ideas for making those car trips memorable in the very best way, contributed by parents who learned from experience.

1. WINDOW AS CANVAS If you don’t mind wiping the windows, let the kids use dry-erase markers to color pictures. My kids love to play tic-tac-toe. A baby wipe clears it up fast — makes the kids great travelers. — allkellyp

2. FOR VERY YOUNG ONES This is how we survived a long car trip with our 4-year-old son and high-energy toddler daughter:
* We picked up two clipboards at the dollar store to draw on. We tore pages out of coloring books and brought plain white paper. I let them use crayons – not as messy as markers.
* I brought along some favorite lost and forgotten figurines I’d dug out of the bottom of the toy box. It was fun and quiet. — mufasasmistress

3. TAPES & ZIPLOCS We have had success with lap desks for coloring, individual snacks for each child packed in their own Ziploc snack bags, and lots of sing-along tapes. — Rebekah

4. WIRED FOR PLAY We borrowed a small tv/vcr and hooked it up in our van so the kids could watch movies. They each brought headphones and tapes or CDs they liked. I got a couple of books on tape for my youngest that he really liked to listen to. The oldest brought cards that he played with whoever was sitting in the back with him at the time. I also packed a Frisbee, ball and gloves, and some bubbles in an easy-to-get-to place, so when we stopped at a rest area we could all get a little exercise. — Juanese

5. BOOKS & ACTIVITY BAGS First we make a trip to the library and each kid picks out a couple of books for the ride. Our two kids (8 & 10) each have an activity bag that straps onto the seat in front of them. They are stocked with their papers for drawing, activity books, and colored pencils (crayons melt in hot cars). We have a family activity bag with small magnetic games like checkers, Chinese checkers, etc. — heybambi

6. MODEL MAGIC We take a couple of packages of multi-colored pipe cleaners and several packages of Crayola Model Magic. I love Model Magic. It sticks to itself but not to the interior of the car or the kids’ clothes, it doesn’t blend unless the kids make it blend, the kids make their creations and we clean out the van each evening and then they start again. Any little crumbles can just be brushed out or vacuumed away. I used to distribute the pipe cleaners to avoid arguements but now they can handle it themselves and are quiet for long lengths of time. — Tammy

7. NIGHTTIME TRAVEL Even if it is a baby toy, kids have fun with ANYTHING that lights up. Our dollar store has neon glow bracelets and sticks (the kind you’d purchase at an amusement park or nighttime parade) that kids can connect and make bracelets or necklaces out of. Glow-in-the-dark star stickers are fun to get out too. Have them use their mini-flashlights on them to get them to shine. They can stick them above their seat in the car (if they are big enough), or you can have them do it before it gets dark when stopping for gasoline or something quick. — mufasasmistress

8. TRAVEL JOURNALS Our sons, now 9 and 6, have travel journals I started for them in a 3-prong folder. I print off info — state bird, state flag, state capital — on the states we will be vacationing in (and also driving through) from state Web sites. I also print out coloring pages from free Web sites on subjects having to do with those states (a moose for Maine, seashells for the beach). And to stop the dreaded “Are we there yet?” I print out a map of our route and highlight the roads, marking off the parts as we complete them. I then take all of the printables, add a few sheets of lined paper, and start each new section of the journal with “Our Trip to … Summer 2003.” Then the kids add what time we left, where we stopped, what we saw on the way, etc. They now have a collection of memories in one folder of all our trips. — msipley

9. TRAVEL BINGO I’ve seen auto bingo boards for sale, but I just make them myself and get the kids to help out. — terpntime

10. SMALL SURPRISES My sister, who used to travel a lot with her military family, prepared small gifts along the way to keep the children occupied. She would wrap them and tell her boys they would receive a gift if they were behaved until the next stop. — terpntime

11. CAR LICENSE GAME Play the car license game with them. Older kids can identify the states, and younger ones can look for the different oolors. — Emily

12. MAD LIBS We just finished a trip with a 6- and 8-year-old. The big hit of the trip was Mad Libs. The kids took turns filling in the answers and loved reading the funny stories. — 40sporty

March 15, 2012

Click Here for Kids Weather Website - games, facts and fun

Did you realize not all au pairs know what to do in the event of a tornado watch and/or warning?   As a family,  with your au pair, prepare a tornado plan at this week’s meeting!  Help your au pair to remain calm, cool and in charge in the event of an emergency.

If a tornado or funnel cloud is spotted, or a warning is issued for your county, take action to protect yourself.

At home…

• Move to a sturdy building. Shelters are more safe than mobile homes.
• Stay away from windows. Do not try to open or close windows.
• Stay away from outside doors and garages.
• Move to a basement and get under something sturdy.
• If you have no basement, move to the lowest level and get in an interior room, like a bathroom or closet.
• Put as many walls between you and the storm as possible.

At school…

• Leave classrooms that have windows or that are on the exterior of the building.
• Leave large span rooms, like gymnasium or auditoriums.
• Seek shelter in interior rooms and get under desks or sturdy objects.
• Be careful in hallways that may act as wind tunnels and funnel debris.
• Move students off buses and back into the school.
• Do not let students board buses during a Tornado Warning.

When traveling…

• Do not try and outrun a tornado.
• If the tornado is some distance away, drive away from it.
• If the tornado is relatively close, leave your vehicle for a sturdy building.
• If no shelter is available, seek refuge in a ditch or culvert. Crouch down and protect your head.

If outdoors…

• Find a shelter if possible.
• If boating or fishing, move to shore.
• If no shelter is available, seek refuge in a low spot. Crouch down and protect your head.

Miscellaneous Expenses

At a recent new host family orientation, we discussed different ways to handle the little expenses that may come up.  Things like when an au pair takes the kids out for ice cream or picks up a gallon of milk.  Some families keep a cookie jar fund, a little cash that they set aside weekly or monthly for this kind of expenses.  Here are some suggestions for avoiding problems with that.

Host Families

• It’s important to be clear about how long this money should last and what types of expenses are approved.
• Let the au pair know whether or not you expect receipts.

Au Pairs

• Only spend the money on approved expenses.
• If it is something you are not sure about, ask first.
• Put your receipts in the cookie jar in place of the money to avoid any confusion.

Gas and Fare Cards

Host families are responsible for the au pair’s transportation costs:

• to and from classes and cluster meetings
• driving the kids

It is a good idea to figure out how much gas an au pair will use for these trips and either put gas in the car or give a gas allowance.   If your au pair is riding to classes or cluster meetings with another au pair, you should offer to share the cost of gas.

Au pairs are responsible for their own transportation at all other times.  You should replace the amount of gas used for personal use.

February 18, 2012

Discover Engineering Family Day at the National Building Museum
February 18, 2012, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Take part in slime-making, day-long robot demonstrations and competitions, design bridges and helicopters, and much more. Free. $5 suggested donation. Most appropriate for children ages 5-13.

February 4, 2012

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September 30, 2011

Many au pairs and host families are looking for places to get flu shots this time of year.  Au Pair insurance does not cover immunizations, but there are lots of places to get flu shots for $30 or less.  If the host family is insisting that an au pair get a seasonal flu shot and she agrees to get it, the host family would be responsible for the expense.

Remember – The seasonal flu shot will not protect you from the H1N1 (swine flu.)  If you are planning to get the seasonal flu vaccine, it is recommended that you get it as early as possible.  Once a vaccine for H1N1 becomes available, I will send out information on that in case you decide you want to get that vaccine as well.

 Flu Shot Locator – Enter your zip code and find local flu shot clinics.

Giant Pharmacy – $30 (may be $20 with your Bonus Card)

CVS Pharmacy & Minute Clinic – $30

Walgreens Pharmacy – $25

Rite Aid Pharmacy – $30

Target Pharmacy & Target Clinic – $30

August 31, 2011

I recently received a recommendation from a host mother on several books to assist au pairs in understanding different parenting styles and the developmental milestones of kids.  Here are the recommendations – I would love to hear your feedback.  All the books can be found on amazon.com for under $20.  Click on the links below for more information. 

• “Raising Lions” by Joe Newman.  It has some practical approaches to deal with troubling behavior through short time outs & other suggestions.
• “Touchpoints-Birth to Three”  by T. Barry Brazelton
• “Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, 5th Edition: Birth to Age 5 (Shelov, Caring for your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5)” — American Academy of Pediatrics
•  ”1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12“
• “ Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years“

July 23, 2010

Maybe I will see you Friday night in Lorton with my family at Cinema Under The Stars: Monsters vs Aliens.

 Summer nights are even better when sitting outside to watch movies with friends and family! The Workhouse Film Institute presents a new outdoor movie series: Cinema Under the Stars. With a low ticket price of $20 per vehicle (or $15 for FOW members), you may bring as many people as you can fit in your car! Pack your blankets, drive to the Workhouse and prepare for an unforgettable night of entertainment!

All films begin at 8:30pm, with doors opening at 7:30pm for Family Fun Hour, featuring music, games, trivia contests and other surprises!  Snacks, drinks and pizza will be available for purchase beginning at 7:30pm.

Workhouse Arts Center
A Program of the Lorton Arts Foundation
9601 Ox Road
Lorton, VA 22079

June 22, 2010

Take the family out to dinner in DC to celebrate Kids Restaurant Week, June 20 – 27.  Last year’s inaugural celebration of DC Kids Restaurant Week was a huge success, and this year’s second event is anticipated to be just as popular.

DC Kids Restaurant Week was initially designed to introduce children to grown-up style dining while promoting healthy eating habits as a family. Children generally mimic that which they see their parents do. Therefore, parents that set good eating examples empower their children to make intelligent nutritional decisions later in life.

In honor of the second annual Kids Restaurant Week, participating DC restaurants are offering kid-friendly cuisine and fixed-price menus during lunch and early dinner seating hours. Children under the age of 11 that dine with their families will pay their age for their meal with the purchase of an adult entree.

Many of the more popular restaurants will celebrate family dining with kid friendly special events including tours of the kitchen, pictures with the chefs, and balloon giveaways.

Participating DC restaurants include:

Acadiana, a contemporary restaurant serving Southern Louisiana style cooking.

Bistro 525, located in the Washington Court Hotel. 

Blacksalt Fish Market and Restaurant, Washington DC’s premiere seafood restaurant and entirely committed to fish sustainability.

Fire Fly Restaurant, located in Dupont Circle offers contemporary American comfort food.

Jaleo, a Spanish tapas restaurant serving a variety of small plate samples to be shared.

La Tasca, a Spanish restaurant that serves traditional Spanish recipes and Tapas cuisine. 

Rosa Mexicano, an upscale restaurant serving authentic Mexican cuisine.

Zola, located in the Penn Quarter, offers traditional American cuisine.

DC Restaurant Week for Kids is produced by Destination DC, the lead organization which supports travel and tourism for Washington DC.