The good thing is, my kids are so talkative and tend to stretch out their explanation. Yet there are still times of awkward silence at the dinner table I absolutely hate that. Ugh. I can’t stand to eat in silence. Might as well eat alone.

Today this TableTopics thing caught my eye. What a great idea! It’s a box of cards with some conversation starters like:

• Is it more fun to be a parent or a child
• Would you rather live for a week in the past or the future
• What family or school rule would you most like to change

These are awesome! And it can help us really understand our kids at a deeper level too. The cube costs $25. Great for the uninspired (like me).

On the other hand, I suspect this is something that you could also create on your own with a card box and a bunch of index cards. Maybe let the children add their own topics to discuss too.

Links:

TableTopics

Aurelia Williams, Life Coach

Most of us enjoy a lazy day when we can sleep in, putz around and just relax a little – and our kids are no different. However, when the dog days of summer come, some teens take that one “couch out” day and stretch it over an entire summer break. Here are some tips to combat summertime teen laziness and keep your teen active and engaged.

Communicate Expectations – Tell your teen in a nonthreatening but firm manner that you will not accept their staying in bed all morning and afternoon. It is perfectly reasonable to ask that they get up at a decent hour. Explain that you want them to do more than merely watch TV, play video games, or visit social networking sites all day.

If your teen wants you to help pay for their summer activities, they should be willing to abide by a few summer guidelines. Set an age appropriate, specific time that you expect them to be home, based upon the level of trust they have earned. Ask them to take on a couple of extra chores during the summer to earn some pocket money. These chores could be for you or someone else, but make sure they go above and beyond the normal, everyday chores that every member of the family should be expected to do.

Get Them Engaged – Whether you ask them to help you more around the house, participate in volunteer activities in the community, or help them get a job, you want them to be engaged in something worthwhile. Give them encouragement to help at a YMCA, children’s program, or nursing home. They may find they truly enjoy these volunteer activities and you will help them appreciate the joys of serving others that will last a lifetime.

Help them find volunteer positions by calling around to local places of worship, daycares, charities, or nursing homes. Local businesses may be hiring summer help; offer to help them find a job to earn some extra money. This will help them learn to manage money, but will also help them realize the value of their time. If they get paid by the hour, they might be less likely to fritter their time away.

Editor’s note: Talking about volunteerism, you might want to check out Volunteer Match with your teen.

Spend Family Time – Avoid giving lectures about what they should do during the summer. (Lectures, period, are ineffective with teens.) Instead, find activities that you can do with them. You don’t have to spend every waking moment with your teen, but take some time to take them shopping, go to a movie, or out for a coffee. Keep it relaxed and let your teen open up to you in their own time and way. Summertime is a great time to reconnect with your teen. Don’t let these weeks go by without taking this time to slow down and just be together.

Image by sanja gjenero

Encourage Physical Activity – Take time to learn or play a new sport with your teen. Not only will this help your teen be more active during the summer, it’ll help you get some much needed exercise, too. Boys in particular are more likely to enjoy “side by side” activities. These are often great times to open dialogue with your son about important issues. Give tennis, swimming, cycling, or rollerblading a try. You both will benefit your health and well being.

Parents all over the country complain that their teens get lazy during the summer break. But teens, just like toddlers, need guidance, clear communication, and reminders of your expectations in order to be successful. These tips should get you well on your way. Ask your teen if there are things they’d like to accomplish before school starts, and then help them to meet those goals.

Need More Help?

Here are three guides to help you reconnect with your teen, so you can help them with the rocky road of being a teenager.

1. If you’re gearing up for another summer with your teen and want to dread trying to keep them occupied, happy and out of trouble, check out School’s Out for plenty of expert resources to make it a great summer.

2. Real Life Guidance to Understanding Your Teen shows you how to accept what you can and cannot control in your teen’s life, how to cope with mood swings, keeping the lines of communication open.

3. Real Life Guidance to Helping Your Teen in High School includes practical suggestions to help your child find his/her identity, avoid bullies, handle peer pressure and more.

Grab them all to be armed with the easy-to-follow advice at your fingertips. They’re available for instant download, which means you can get the help you need any day of the week, even if it’s the middle of the night.

Guess that’s what the Spot Me ID people thought when they created the Safety Temporary Tattoos.  Actually, the product is created by a mom who did lose her child at an amusement part. Thankfully they were reunited and that turned into a profitable business.

A pack of 4 tattoos, 4 wipes and a marker costs $7.95 and can be purchased directly from SpotMeID.com

So, what’s a mom to do about it?  Well, the coolest things are now made to protect your child from the germs on the cart and entertain them a bit possibly too.  The Shopping Cart protectoreven has places to hold your valuables too if you wish to use them, places for your cell phone and shopping list too.

This could truly be an item that would not only protect your child, but make your life a little easier.

Photo credit: Amazon.com

It is good for many purposes, from just getting all my junk from point A to point B to actually using it for shopping or laundry, it’s sole purpose.  Whatever you decide to use it for you’ll likely be glad you have it when you need an extra hand.

Photo Credit: Amazon

This Digital Cameramade just for kids not only takes pictures but it lets your child star on TV with its webcam feature as well as entertains them with games.  The camera itself working much like a video game controller.”
My daughter and son have already had hours of fun with this little camera and I’m quite sure they will have more.  It has already more than paid for itself.  Plus it is tough as nails, withstanding all the many drops I”m sure it will take from them.

It is also a good option if you travel to family or friends’ homes who do not have an extra bedroom either or to take camping so that you can sleep in true comfort.  There are so many ways that you can use this mattress.  So, regardless it is definitely a good investment and will pay off.

IlluStory allows your child to write and illustrate their own 18 page story, including designing the cover and the author biography page.  After your child is done with the story you simple place it in the envelope provided, mail it in and the book is created for you, or you can create the entire book online if you choose.  You will receive a color professionally printed book in a few short weeks of submission.  Your child will surely be proud of themselves and their work, and so will you!

They love it. The only issue is we only have one of them.  It has a bunch of games all of which are educational.  There are 3o activities that they can work through, including math and music games.  It even has a mouse that it detachable and will work for a left-handed or right-handed child.

This laptop will entertain your child for hours.  It says that it is for 3 years and up, but my almost 2 year old loves it just as much though she can only make it play music and things, she doesn’t really play the games, but still loves it.  So, even if your child isn’t 3 I think it is worth it.

The Tooth Tunes Toothbrush , plays a tune while your child is brushing and helps them to know just how long to brush. Essentially they should continue brushing until the toothbrush quits playing. Simply right? You can purchase the brushes with your child’s favorite tunes allowing them to enjoy the tunes and get their teeth brushed well.

For around $12 it is definitely worth the investment because I can promise you that a trip to the dentist will run you more than that!

Photo credit: oskay