Are your kids ready for school?

Summer has been great, but it's time to start thinking about the school year. In a little over a month the kids will be back in school, but area they ready? You should still let your kids have fun and enjoy their freedom, but prep them for the fall school year. Try using these simple 5 tips from Susan Stainsby. Remember, to make them fun!

1. Read
-If you haven't done so already have your kids start a small ready list. Or have them finish the list they already started. This will help to keep your child's mind active and sharp. Make this fun for the kids. Take a trip to the library or give them an incentive/goal to reach by the end of summer. What kid doesn't love winning at something?!
2. Make sure your kiddo gets enough sleep
-I'm sure you've loosened up on bed time these past few months. But, make sure your kid is still getting his/her full 8-10 hours. I recommend starting a school like sleep schedule about two weeks before school starts. Whatever their bed time is during the school year is when they should head off to sleep. You can be a little leanient on their wakeup time. (I'm sure you like your sleep too) This way, you won't have a crabby kiddo the first few weeks of school.
3. Emphasize the positive
-Make shopping for back to school fun! If you send out a negative vibe or make the shopping seem like work then your kids will have a sour feeling about going back to school. Let them pick out a school supply that is fun. i.e. Let them get that sparkly notebook. Also make school clothes shopping fun by taking a trip to McDonald's for lunch afterwords.
-You can also make some fun crafts that will get your kids in the school spirit. Try making homemade bookmarks, play number mazes, tic-tac-toe and create some fun crossword puzzles!
4. Don't wear them out
-This might be a little late, but don't sign your kids up for "five different summer camps." If they are already enrolled in a lot keep things low key the last few weeks before school. Give them some down time and let them play.
5. Practice handwriting and spelling
-"Kids who don't write during the summer have to relearn to write and spell when school starts." Have the kids start a journal and let them write about their daily summer adventures. Or spend certain days letting them create their own stories. If you've got a little one in the house you can also stop at a local teaching store or office supply store and find alphabet tracing sheets.

Hope you've all been having a great summer and I hope your looking forward to the school year!

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Beating the Summer Heat

Hi everyone! Sorry about the whole, "too busy to blog thing." Life and work have been CRAZY lately, but I'm back! Hope you all are enjoying your summer. The weather here in Chicago is going to be super hot, sticky, humid, and rainy these next few days. What the heck are you going to do with the kids? It's too hot to be outside and it's the end of summer and they don't want to be stuck inside. Here is what I suggest!

1. If the kids are going crazy and have to go outside....Make sure they are playing in some sort of water. Conduct sponge races, have them swim, set up a sprinkler obstacle course. Make sure to have them take breaks in order to drink some water and eat some refreshing fruit. You need to make sure to hydrate them and fill them with the good sugar in weather like this.
2. Take a trip to the local library or local children's museum. Let the kids go loose and let them explore. This kind of trip will be educational and will give you some quiet time.
3. This is the time to go see that movie the kids have been wanting to see. Pop a bag of popcorn before and distribute it into little plastic bags for each kid. Sneak in some juice boxes as well. This will save some money and give you some time to cool off.

Try these ideas and remember to stay cool and hydrated!

Remember to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com for cute placemats for the end of summer or beginning of the school year. Yikes...did I just say that?

Travel Time with the Kiddos

It's that time of the year again....Family vacation time! Family vacations can sometimes be stressful but don't have to be. If your planning a vacation in the near future try these 5 simple tips when traveling with kids. They can even work for those teenagers in your family.

1. Snacks! Always have snacks with you on trips. This will help turn the crabby kid into a happy kid. Try...fruit snacks, mini candy bars, granola bars, or trail mix.
2. Band Aids! You know the kids are always hurting themselves so it never hurts to have some extra band aids on hand.
3. Sanitary Wipes! If you don't have a bathroom around and need to clean up, a small pack of these is a good idea. Or you can use them to wipe down tables or places to sit if you are out and about.
4. Small Electronics! Down time and boredom are bound to occur during a vacation. Or, one kid is interested in something while the other kid is not. Bring the...Game Boy, Nintendo DS, DVD player or electronic card game player along.
5. Plastic Bag! It is a great idea to have these with when trekking around on a family vacation. If it has rained and you need a place to sit you can use them as a chair cover. Or, if the kiddos have stuff with them they can place it in their bag. It makes it easier for them to carry things and you don't have to lug everything around for them.

Try these 5 ideas the next time you take a family vacation. If you need an alternative, small and inexpensive vacation this summer try the following:
-Wisconsin Dells
-Michigan
-Springfield, IL
-Columbus, OH
-Nashville, TN

Enjoy your travels and don't forget to take a look around Mypersonalizedprint.com for custom and re-usable placemats.

It's time for Mom & Dad to have a date night!

Hi parents!
I bet you guys have been crazy with school ending and getting the kids set up for summer. How about you two take some time for yourselves to have fun and relax. I have the perfect idea for you!

Date: Comedy club and dinner!
Most towns have a local comedy club. Most have an early show around 7 and a later show around 9. Go out to dinner before or after to a restaurant you can't go to with the kids. Then, kick back, have a drink or two and laugh your heads off!

If you are in the Chicago area you can try the following comedy clubs:
1. Zanies, St. Charles IL
2. Schaumburg Comedy Club, Schaumburg IL
3. Second City, Chicago IL

But, if you aren't in the Chicago area Google will be your friend! Remember to make time for the two of you and have some fun every once in a while. It will make your hectic life seem a little less hectic.

Remember....to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com. Get the kiddos a personalized placemat to use during meal-time so the babysitter can relax a little too!

Whoa Baby...Is it hot or what...

I don't know about you...but us Chicagoans have been experiencing some extremely hot and HUMID weather these past few days. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE summer, but not intense heat. I'm sure there are many of you right a long with me. I have decided that I am going to help you out and give you some advice when taking the kiddos outside. You can't spend all day couped up in the house so if your going to get outside let's protect them!

When going outside remember to:
1. Bring plenty of water with you. You can never have too much.
2. Bring some healthy snacks. Any type of melon is great during the summer because it is refreshing and hydrates you at the same time.
3. Put the sun block on the kiddos before they even go outside. And, re-apply about every hour to hour and a half.
4. If your heading to the pool make sure to place a t-shirt on the kids or a hat on the smaller ones.

A fun outdoor idea would be to plug in the sprinkler and let the kids have fun and stay cool while outside. I found a cute one at Target.com for only $14.99. Or plug in the one you use to water your flowers with.

Have fun outside but remember to be safe! Don't forget to use one of our personalized and re-usable placemats when you come inside for a lunch break. Visit Mypersonalizedprint.com for more details.

Summer Time Reading, yay!

I'm sure the kids cannot wait for summer break to start and I'm sure you will be wanting fall to come as soon as it does. I'm going to help you out....A great way to keep the kids occupied this summer is to keep their learning and curiosity going. An awesome way to do that is to join a summer reading program. Most libraries have summer reading programs. Just Google local libraries in your area. You can also find great reading lists on the Internet.

Participating in activities like summer reading programs keep children learning and engaged in the act of reading. Remember, you can make reading fun! PBS has a great summer reading "community challenge program." Visit www.challenges.ivillage.com/kids-summer-reading. Oprah also has a great reading list for kids. She even sorts it by age level. Visit www.Oprah.com and navigate through her site to find the reading list of choice.

To make this activity exciting you can create a fun challenge within your home. Give out small (cheap) prizes when so many books are read or when a book is finished. Or, give the kids a trip to the library to pick out a fun book or magazine. You can also join in the fun and read a long with your kids. There's nothing like beating your Mom or Dad at reading a book! If you have a lot of time and are home during the summer try creating a small book club with kids in the local neighborhood. Not only will you get the kids reading....but you'll get them thinking too!

Hope your kids enjoy reading and you enjoy reading with them. Now get those kids reading! And...don't forget to check out Mypersonalizedprint.com!