AA Gifts & Baskets Idea Blog

Archive for the ‘Parenting’ Category

Have you ever caught yourself wishing you had asked your grandparents more questions about what it was like when they were growing up? I love to hear about the "simpler" times - when they lived on the farm, how it was having 9 kids in one small house, how every one chipped in to help out, etc.

A good way to record these memories is with a fill-in gift book that ask questions about a grandparent's life. This makes a very special keepsake and a perfect grandparent's day gift.

You can also create one of your own.  If you need help getting a jump start on good questions to ask, there is an ezine article called "Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die" that is a good guide on what questions to ask your grandparents.

You could print out the questions and answers (or have your grandparents fill in the answers.  Seeing them in their own handwriting adds a special touch), then make a scrapbook of the answers along with photos and other family memorabilia.

If you haven't already done this - don't hesitate! As Grandpa will tell you, he's not getting any younger!

Grandparent’s Day is approaching quickly, and you might want to take some time to consider possible activities to fill the day with fun for all generations.  There are a number of activities and outings that might make for the perfect way to honor those who have had a big impact on your life and the lives of your children.  Armed with a good understanding of the activities that would appeal to the grandparents being honored, you can make a wise decision on how to best treat them to a day of fun.

Dining Out

There are few occasions that aren’t made more special by enjoying a meal together in a favorite restaurant or diner.  Whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, dining out can provide everyone a good meal, wonderful company, the perfect grandparent gift and an opportunity to say “we love you” and “thanks for all that you do.”

Arts and Crafts

For grandparents and kids that enjoy a little bit of creative activity, arts and crafts can be an excellent way for all to have some fun together doing something that is not overly physically demanding, but does provide for an excellent shared memory.  Consider a project like paint your own pottery, outdoor paintings, or even choose to take in a live play, so you can enjoy other people’s creative abilities.  Be creative in thought and be creative in action, so you can make the grandparents feel honored and special on their day this year.

Fall Fun

Grandparent’s Day was made an official national holiday by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.  The date to choose was obviously a consideration.  Because grandparents are considered to be in the “autumn” years of life, it was decided that Grandparent’s Day would take place in the fall.  So, each first Sunday after Labor Day, we honor the elder generation of our families.  Because, this date hits during autumn, there are many fall-friendly activities that might be chosen to spend some time with grandparents.

Some ideas might include visiting a pumpkin farm to pick your own pumpkins, taste some delicious fall treats, and maybe even get a picture with a giant pumpkin-headed scarecrow.  Carving Jack O’Lanterns can also be an excellent group activity that will lead to wonderful memories and photo-taking possibilities.  Finally, if none of that sounds appealing, you might instead consider a fall walk to take in the colors, smells, and feel of autumn.

Moving Outdoors

With a date early enough in fall to still be enjoying some nice weather, so perhaps the very best way to enjoy Grandparent’s Day is with a day outdoors.  Light the grill, pound out the patties, mix up the greens and prepare for a barbecue in the backyard.  Set up at a picnic table or spread out on a large blanket, a picnic can be a great way to share some delicious grandparent's day treats, fun stories, and to make some new memories.

Follow up the delicious meal with some fun outdoor games that could make use of the backyard.  Some of those games might be bocce ball, ring toss, ladder ball, kickball, or croquet.  Try to choose activities that all members of the family are able to participate, to ensure that this Grandparent’s Day is extra special for all involved.

Reading to your child everyday is one of the most important things you can do for your child - and it should start even when they're a baby! A baby listens to everything that is said to them and stores it away.  You can broaden their vocabulary more quickly by reading stories and poetry. In fact reading to your child everyday can very easily develop into lifelong enjoyment of a fantastic hobby for your child.

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. Giving book gifts is another way of reinforcing reading as a pleasurable experience.

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!

It was snowing. The snow came down in white sheets that went yellow in the street lights. At the end of the boulevard there was a monument to the wall. It was a great block of plain cement. On one side the back end of a big American car from the 1950s stood out in the circle of the street lights. There was a similar tail end coming out on the other side. The cars were covered with snow.

We walked down the boulevard. At one end there was the ruined church and the new church stood next to it. They left it, she said, from the war. She didn’t say, which war, because it was clear and everywhere you went the war was there even if no one spoke abut it.

At the train depot you looked at the names of the stations and that was the war as well but no one spoke about it and it was as if you were in a crowded elevator but no one said anything.

Every day the news was about the wall. There were crowds at the wall and people coming and going, but no one knew what was happening.

I waited with her and she became impatient. We went for a drive. There is no speed limit on the freeways and she drove very fast. She drove fast but other cars went by us in a humming-blur. You heard the hum, like a massive, bloated wasp, angry and determined was coming at you, and then there was the elongated blur of a car going by you.

We are Germans, she said, smiling with wry humor, we don’t know what to do, so we try to do everything perfectly.

We walked in the woods. It was bitterly cold. The ground was frozen. We walked down to a lake and the water was very still and sharply blue. We went to a restaurant that looked over the lake. We drank hot chocolate and spoke about nothing in particular. The waiters were gathering around the television behind the bar.

The next day she was up early, watching the news. She turned from station to station. Then she said, she couldn’t wait any longer and that we should go see it for ourselves.

There were people everywhere and barricades and television crews. On top of the wall, a lone East German guard stood, forlornly, looking at everyone. He was wearing a forest green winter jumpsuit. In his hands he held an automatic rifle. He looked confused.

We walked down the length of the wall. She translated the graffiti. Far down the wall, away from the crowd, we passed two young boys. They had a small pick and they were taking turns hitting the wall. She spoke to them. They laughed and the one with the pick handed it to her and she said it was a great gift to say thank you.

She hit the wall and the metal echoed in the crisp winter air. She hammered out two pieces of the wall. She smiled and handed the pick back to the boys.

Here, she said, this is for you.

She handed me a piece of the wall.

A gift, she said, from history, to you.

Next, review your insurance policies. For many people, life insurance is a kind of instant estate; its guaranteed financial protection for your family.

Term life insurance [temporary; bought for a specified period of time, or term] is often purchased by younger people who like the low initial premiums. Remember that premiums for term insurance rise slowly through your thirties and more quickly thereafter. For people in their sixties and beyond, term insurance rates may be out of reach.

Whole-life insurance [permanent; for your “whole life”] rates are about five times higher than for term insurance, but the premiums remain level from the date of issue. Additionally, the whole-life policy acquires a cash value that increases over time.

You may want to look into newer types of life insurance that combine term and whole-life. Such a policy typically will combine at least $10,000 of whole-life upon the head of the household with at least $50,000 of term insurance, all for a single premium. Another innovative policy is adjustable life insurance, which allows the policy-holder to raise or lower the amount of insurance and vary the type of insurance between whole-life and term, as life’s circumstances change.

If you or your spouse is staying home or working part time, that person should also consider buying a term policy that would cover the daycare expenses that would result in case the stay-at-home parent dies.

What about your health insurance? Many companies now offer membership in a health maintenance organization [HMO] as an option to the usual health insurance. You should definitely consider taking advantage of this corporate gift if your company offers it. HMO s are corporations that contract with physicians and hospitals to deliver health care under a prepaid plan. With these plans, employers can offer their workers enhanced benefits at prices comparable to traditional insurance. Joining a HMO can make sense, particularly to a family whose members seem to be running to the doctor’s office every other week. The costs of office visits, prescriptions, vaccinations, diagnostic tests, and hospitalization are often covered by an HMO plan. Keep in mind that you have to use the HMO’s doctors and hospitals, so if you have a doctor that you particularly like, an HMO may not be for you.

A new wrinkle in employer-or insurance-plan-pondered health care is the Preferred Provider Organization [PPO]. As with an HMO, a PPO plan provides discount health care to members, offering co-payment arrangements and other incentives. Typically, members contribute through payroll deductions. As a PPO member, you can choose your physician and hospital from those included in the PPO group. Fees for services are covered one hundred percent. If you wish, you can choose an outside [nonmember] physician or hospital, in which case you will be liable for a percentage of any fees. Obviously, what makes PPOs appealing is that a member can pick his or her caregivers.

Check to see if you have adequate protection through work or Social Security in the event you become disabled. If not, find out if you qualify for auto insurance that provides benefits for disability from traffic accidents, or for special private insurance programs that pay monthly loan or mortgage payments during a disability. There are different definitions of what disabled means; an insurance agent should explain exactly what “disability” means in the policy. The agent should also explain the policy’s “renewability,” or the conditions of extending the policy beyond its expiration date.

The whole point of insurance is to cover the “just in case” situations; you want to be sure your policies are appropriate for a family with young children.

It is never to early to introduce books and reading to babies.

Reading aloud to your baby is a remarkable way of fostering brain development and important in the development of language skills.

Reading to your child is the most valuable thing you can do and babies benefit immensely. Not only does it help develop baby’s eye muscles through focusing on pictures but it helps to encourage language skills. Each and every baby learns by sight, sound and feeling. When a baby sees, hears or feels anything, brain connections form and eventually create a piece of knowledge.

Babies first learn words by association with objects and pictures, which help them to understand the world around them. Eventually these associations are developed into language skills, where they begin sounding out the word. Language skills then develop into a way of which a baby can communicate with their parents and others around them.

As your baby grows into a toddler there are many other benefits that reading provides, such as:

• Reading aloud helps your child to learn new words, associations and language skills.
• Reading aloud to children helps them to learn and understand about the world around them and events and situations that do occur in everyday life.
• Reading aloud to children helps them to develop their creativity and imagination.
• Reading aloud to children helps them to learn about values and moral concepts, such as honesty, sharing and teaches them right from wrong.
• Reading aloud to children is calming and soothing and is a fantastic way to bond with your child.

The benefits of reading to your baby and child are endless!

Establish a daily routine and read to your child. Life can never be too busy to set aside some reading time to your child and the rewards your child will reap are infinite!

Introduce the new baby in your life with a world of words and pictures with a wonderful baby book gift basket. The new baby will be delighted and the joy derived from books will provide countless hours of learning and pleasure.

Start reading to your baby today!