You might think that your child is not interested in reading, but there are several ways to spark their interest with a little patience and injection of fun into the process. If kids feel like they are being forced to read, then they will dislike it. But if you start the process at an early age, reading can become second nature to your children.

Make sure you are aware of your child’s interest, and choose books accordingly. A field trip to the library is a great idea, then they can choose their own books. You may be surprised to find what your child wants to learn about!

Praise and compliment your child’s reading abilities, to build their confidence level and increase their enjoyment of reading. If reading makes your child feel good, they will continue to do it!

One of the most successful techniques for teaching your child to read is the show and read technique. This is where you read to your child while pointing at each word as you read so that your child can see the words and repeat them. Doing this on a daily basis will not only help your child learn to recognize words, but it helps with their memory skills as well!

When a child sees a word and hears it being pronounced at the same time, they will in time learn to recognize the word, how it is said, what it means and how to use it in a sentence. This can take many repetitions, but they will get there.

Remember – reading is one of the best gifts you can give your child, because that skill will help them develop into a successful student and adult!

We carry a variety of Gift Baskets that have the grilling pastime in mind.  Marinades, Barbecue sauces and gourmet mustard’s complement the variety of snacks we pack in each basket.

Grilling Snack Baskets make great gifts for Father’s Day, Independence Day, or any other summer event.

Our Jim & Jack’s Grillin’ Gift Basket features two true classics.  Jim Beam and Jack Daniels have lent their flavors to an assortment of sauces and marinades to make your next grilling adventure memorable! We have filled our red gloss basket with Jack Daniels BBQ sauce, marinade mix, horseradish sauce, sweet N hot mustard and gourmet coffee, along with Jim Beam medium salsa and beef jerky. Their friend Southern Comfort has joined the party with some gourmet coffee, along with Buffalo Bill’s tortilla strips, pretzel rods, 3 pepper water crackers, smokey cheddar cheese, peanut butter-filled pretzel nuggets, chocolate fudge popcorn, Claey’s old fashioned fudge, and chocolate chip cookies. We also sneak in a set of grillin hot pads.

Visit All About Gifts & Baskets for great Barbecue baskets for every occasion.

Any kind of container will do for the basket. You could choose a small laundry basket or plastic bin.  Check the kids bedroom/storage area of a store like Target or Walmart for fun totes, baskets, etc.

First of all, let’s think about food. There are plenty of healthy snacks that kids love like fruit snacks, crackers and granola bars.  Fresh fruit and drink pouches could also be included.  And if you really want to put a smile on their face, you could add their favorite candy!

Reading books and activity books make great gifts to put into the gift basket. A coloring book could keep them busy while they’re stuck in bed.  Don’t forget the crayons if you go for this option.

Playdoh and clay make great activities for a sick child, especially as they have the time to put some thought to it (and can get some help from you). Some masterpieces can be created, in this time of illness, to put in a place of honor for all to see.

There are plenty of children’s movies on DVD that you include in the gift basket. Or maybe a tabletop game like chess, mini monopoly or scrabble that you can play with your child while they are ill.

Last, but not least, don’t forget the cuddly plush animal – an essential friend in the recovery process!

The answer is simple, but your mom’s definition of this word might vary.

A break could mean:

• A spa day
• A round of golf and lunch
• Kids and Mommy time – movies, games, snacks
• Clean the house for Mom
• Make Mom breakfast in bed
• Run Mom a hot bath and top it off with a spa gift basket.
• Take the kids to the park and let Mom have the day to herself. If she loves to read a book gift basket may be the perfect gift.

You know your mom best, so choose something she will really enjoy. What mom’s love most is just to know they are appreciated for all their hard work, and giving her a day off from all that work is the best gift of all.

When you create a card from scratch, you are thinking about the person while you are creating it and end up with a unique card, which no-one will receive ever again! No more having to worry about getting the same card from a shop, especially if the person receiving the card has a particular love of owls, frogs, elephants, cars, sailing, or whatever it might be.

You can easily get into the fun of creating homemade cards for every occasion.  It goes hand in hand with scrap booking as the techniques are pretty much interwoven. People find it a very relaxing hobby.  There are all sorts of different methods you can use to create unique cards.

Making homemade cards is even more fun if you have kids, as then you can all sit around the table and create unique cards, chatting, and laughing together. If you don’t have kids you can set up a homemade card making group with your friends. Then you can enjoy the togetherness while making cards.

When you create cards yourself, you never have to worry about not having a card on hand when an occasion pops up. Instead you can get out your card making materials and create something unique and wonderful, wherever your imagination takes you in the wee hours.

Always put a lot of thought into what you write in a sympathy note. It doesn’t have to be long (no more than a page), and the words can be simple.  Below are a few things to keep in mind.

Make sure you know what religion the person who has passed away was, so that you do not write anything that would be against their religion in the personal note to the members of the family.

A good format for a condolence note is:
1.  Give a tribute to the deceased: pay your respects and provide a tribute to the dead.
2.  Offer the grieving your condolences: say to the bereaved how sorry you are for their loss. Be yourself and write as if you were speaking the condolences to them.
3.  Acknowledge their grief: you can acknowledge the grief has happened by offering whatever support you can and personally expressing your own deepest sympathy.

If you knew the person who has passed away, write about a memory you have about them, or an act of kindness that they did for you. If you have some photos, you could include those in the note too. Photos can help the grieving process, as it helps people remember the good times.

If you did not know the person who passed away, talk about the importance of that person to the person who the sympathy note is intended for.

Be genuine and write from the heart. Let them know that you are there for them, if they need you for any support or help. But make this expression of help in real terms, like they can phone you day or night, or you can come and stay with them for a couple weeks. If this is the case include your home number and cell phone on the note.

Always sign the condolence note with your full name, as you don’t want your sympathy note to be confused with someone else if you share the same name.

Always hand write a condolence note, as this shows the recipient that you are expressing your deepest sympathies in a personal manner. This means no e-mails.

To add a little something special with your note, check out our selection of thoughtful sympathy gifts.

Young and old alike enjoy receiving unexpected treats.

Our Easter Festival Deluxe Gift Basket shown here includes Cadbury Creme Filled Chocolate Eggs, Easter Candy Corn, Butter Toffee Pretzels, Sweet Butter Cookies, Cashew Roca, Easter Peeps, 2 Boxes of Fruit Flavored Jelly Beans, Peppermint Kettle Corn and a Milk Chocolate Foil Wrapped Easter Bunny.

A plush bunny and festive spring time bow make this a gift worth giving!

If you’re looking to let someone know you’re thinking about them this Easter, you’re sure to find the perfect gift at All About Gifts and Baskets.

A basket loaded with Easter fun!

If you have a special little ones who live near or far,  we have great Easter Baskets filled with fun activities and delicious candies made just for them!

Imagine their surprise when they open a package bursting with activities, goodies and even a plush Easter Bunny of their very own.

A great choice is the Bunny Hugs Easter Basket.  We have either a boy or girl version that both include an 8″ plush Easter Bunny, 35 page Peeps coloring book, candy corn, Starburst fruit gels, jelly beans, fruit scented bubbles, 3 milk chocolate bunny pals, pastel magic spring, Nerds candies and spring fruit Skittles.

The girl version includes a 3 piece Candy Necklace gift set and the boy version includes a Sports Themed candy set.

Check out our complete Easter Basket selection at All About Gifts & Baskets!

Below are a few games and activities that would make the day even more memorable!

Pet Adoption Set up a pet adoption center with small plush animals and let each child “adopt” one. Give each child a shoe box to create a home for their new animal. Provide colorful paper, sticky backed craft foam, craft foam flowers, glue sticks, scissors etc. The children can cover and decorate their very own pet house to take home.

Animal Make-Overs Let the kids become the pets! When the children arrive give them an animal ear headband of their choice, or let them make some of their own! You can use felt ears on a plastic headband, or use construction paper to create bunny, kitty or puppy ears. Use fake feathers if they would like a bird headband. You can complete the look by drawing whiskers and noses on the children with face paint.

Hopstacle Course Players will hop like bunnies through an obstacle course you’ve created with pillows, boxes, chairs etc.

Lilly Pad Hopping Like musical chairs! Make fabric or felt lily pads and place them in a circle. Play music while the kids hop from pad to pad. When the music stops everyone has to find a pad. The frog without a pad is out! Take one pad away and start again.

Pin the Tail on the . . . Monkey, Bunny (use cotton balls), puppy or kitty.

How about making a cupcake train?  One idea is to frost each cupcake a different color, connect each “car” with licorice and use Nilla Wafers as wheels.

Below are some of my favorite train themed games and activities to make your little one’s birthday a hit!

Coal Toss Decorate buckets or shoe boxes like trains. Have each child toss “coal” (balls of tin foil, rolled up black socks or beanbags) into the buckets. 3 in a row or the most coal in wins.

Station Stops A fun idea is to create different “Stations” for each child to stop at. Tape up a sign giving each station a number. You can even pass out “boarding passes” for each child to take to the stations. Some examples of stations are:

1. Cookie Decorating Station
2. Punch/Soda Station
3. Tattoo Station (have Temporary Tattoos for the children to put on)
4. Coloring Station (Lay out color sheets from coloring books or printed from your computer).
5. Train Painting (Buy wooden train ornaments from your local craft store and set out water paints for each child to paint their own train).

Follow the Locomotive Line up the kids with the birthday child at the head of the train. Turn on some fun music and have the birthday child lead the “train of people” by making creative moves that everyone must follow (e.g., jumping, hopping, skipping, spinning, rolling on the ground, waving arms and any other fun gestures.