Friday, June 11, 2010

On Parenting Books

In packing for our summer travels I noticed the heaviest bag was my personal bag.
Included in this bag were the following items:

Wallet
Ipod
Headphones
Phone
Travel Paperwork
Pencil holder with pencils, markers,Tape
and BOOKS

Lots of lots of books. A novel my friend recommended, parenting books,
Children books,magazines to catch up reading on, guide books for the
destinations we are travelling to... HEAVY.

I went first to Best buy and purchased the SONY READER. The sony reader has two versions, the standard version which you have to download books to your computer and then hook up this devise and transfer them to it. --NOT

The second version you can download books straight to the devise but every book I put in to search was not in the SONY READER Library.

I returned it immmediately. I went on line and purchased a KINDLE. Delivered straight to my door the following morning I have been able to load in everything from the THREE LITTLE PIGS to "Have a New Kid by Friday", to the USA TODAY as well as high lights on MISSOLA, Montana !

The best part of this devise is that when your eyes are tired of reading , you can close them and have the READ TO ME audio function kick in and the book will read to you.

The second best part of this devise is you can highlight and move quotes and inspirational words into a folder for viewing later!

I recommend the KINDLE for travellers this summer !

Enjoy !

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

On creating memories

I have been taking pictures non stop. I think I have been taking so many pictures that when my children see my camera come out they raise their hand.

I joke with them about a u-tube story I heard . There was someone who took a video of himself doing a certain dance everywhere.

I joke with the children that this hand raising is the same type of ritual.

It gets a laugh......and it gets a picture, a happy picture, a happy time!

Its really amazing how when the photo albums arrive in the mail, everyone jumps to see the album that was made, what pictures made it in. Sometimes I sneak in a picture
of a person, we pass at a stop light standing on the curbside....it brings up a memory where they want to take the book around the house and show everyone the picture that is in the book.

and a memory is made !

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

On Activities by the water

For New Yorkers Only


Our form of transportation Raising Six Children in New York City is bike or boat. That's all we own!

There are many ways to visit CHELSEA PIERS, NORTH COVE MARINA and LIBERTY ISLAND
and i recommend them all.

Yacht Sales/Rental located at Liberty Island can deliver you a rental boat for the day to the 79th street boat basin. You can buy a share and use the boat X number of times during the summer season. Its reasonable if you get a reasonable size boat and a reasonable number of times. You need to plan ahead a bit, but its worth it.

Otherwise the ferry systems of New York can take you to both Liberty Science Center and adjacent to North cove Marina ! Another great way to spend the day on the water !

Today I took my four older boys 13,12,10,8 on this tour and I have to say it was amazing! When you offer the children an opportunity to interact in a learning environment together they have a chance to feel good about eachother and take part together in newness!

Remaining in the house becomes more of a territorial battle for the same !

Enjoy the Summer in the City and Enjoy all that the water sites of Mahatten !

Sunday, June 6, 2010

On Organizing and being a mom

I am preparing the packing for the exodus from New York. We are all doing it in one way or another. I am heading out to Montana for a 12 day trip.

Even those of us who are staying in the city, must prepare the shift of closets and clothes from the school year season to the summer season. The baseball caps and the sunscreen, the bathing suits and towels, the flip flops and the water shirts must be ready and accessible for the vacation or the city park day !

And there are those of us who are heading out east for the summer!

I feel so distracted with the end of the school year and the packing for the
summer activities, sleep away camps,camping adventures, that I naturally loose
sight of everything going on in the house and with the children.

I appreciate in this moment how MORE of my life and time are spent in touch with the lives of my children in the house that now I can know WHEN I am distracted from this.

My 13 and 12 year old are sleeping, my brother, super uncle, also sleeping! My 10 year old has a friend sleeping over, the eight year old already jumped in my bed where the six and 4 year old were.

Even though Big Johns Movers delivered six tv boxes into my living room, I will hold off and make sure to connect with everyone in the house, make sure to let my brother know he is welcome and my sons friend is welcome and turn the music on Before I start packing !



Have a Great Sunday !

Saturday, June 5, 2010

On Don Miguel Ruiz

I just finished a book, The Fifth Agreement and I want to share first about the third agreement;

DONT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS


He writes "Lies exist only if we create them, and they only survive if we believe in them"

I write "Assumptions are the evil of good parenting!"

I walk up the stairs towards the guest room, where my thirteen year old, who shares his bedroom with three other brothers, is taken haven.

He has been there, the door is open (a previous successful agreement to allow him to have the laptop with him).

I have to ask myself, how am I about to approach? What is it that I want to achieve?
I'll tell you. I have no agenda, I want to simply have a nice exchange.

So I ask "Is now a good time?" and I get a "NO"
I continue, "when would be better?" and I get a "What do you want, mom"
I gently offer "I'd love to begin the packing process this week, as you are leaving for camp next Saturday and we can have some time to get anything you are missing"


I planted a seed, I had an exchange with him that showed him I care about helping him and for now, thats enough.

I make no assumptions that what I want and what he wants are the same so I am not upset.

Drop your assumptions for today and be a supermom !

Friday, June 4, 2010

On New Schools and goodbyes

Last night was the celebration of our families 11 Years at the same nursery school. For eleven years every morning of my life I have walked, drove, biked, raced, plowed through the rain, snow, with child in tow to the same building to the same classrooms, to the same teachers of this very special place.

And now we say goodbye. My children say goodbye. Its the end of an era! People ask, "Are you sad?"

My four year old is excited to attend the school with his sister and brothers next year! He is not sad!

As we all say our goodbyes this week to the school year of 2009-2010 we need look ahead only to the SUMMER and leave September for when September comes !

Thursday, June 3, 2010

On Summer Parenting Plans

If you want things to become better between you and your children;if you want to be closer, if you want to make stronger the bonds that you share together it is not just going to happen by itself.

Now is the time to write down next to each childs name your goal. What do you want your summmer to bring. If your child is leaving for sleep away camp, what do you want to happen before they leave, what do you want to happen while they are away.
Can you talk about your communication, letter writing, expectations from your child of you?

I thought maybe I could have a special time morning with every child while the other children are in morning camp, or golf. I know that leaves only one day a week to myself or my husband but its only a morning. And to the child it is something they will remember their whole life!


What will you plan this summer.....start thinking now !

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

on Creating Memories/Summer Travel

Here is a super, easy, efficient way to look ahead, create memories, and feel good about your summer activities.

**The first step is purchasing a new sd card for your camera. 2G for under $20.00 is all your need to begin. You will mark this SD card in a sharpie with a big STAR.


(The reason you are purchasing a new sd card is we all know that on your existing card are an assortment of pictures from this play, that dinner, this birthday, that school event that you can not erase and not ready to sort out.)

**Next find the charger for the camera battery and put it into the electrical outlet next to where you keep your phone charger. Also write on the side with a sharpie CAMERA BATTERY AND THE SAME STAR

(Why the star, represent something good)

**When school ends on graduation day, and you take your pictures,of the last day of school, (take a few from the classroom too, the following week of things you do together, the day in the park with the fountains open and stop!


Heres the trick, STOP RIGHT THERE
!

**Connect your camera to the computer and a window will pop up. It will pop up because it will recognize a devise is being plugged into the computer. It will ask what you want to do. You can press the option DOWNLOAD PICTURES. When you press this option it will automatically download the pictures and ask you to name the file.
You can name it:

2010 Childs Graduation/Last day of school/First Days of Summer

Heres the second trick, ALSO SELECT ERASE PICTURES DURING DOWNLOAD


How that your pictures are on your computer you can go to Kodak.com or shutterfly.com or American Greetings.com and follow the instructions towards the SIMPLE PATH to transfer the pictures from your computer to their site and they will AUTO FILL them into a pre created album which you can call:

2010 Childs Gratuation/Last day of school/First Days of Summer

And begin your hardcover book memories today!


You can also print pictures, posters, mouse pads, fathers day gifts, camp tee shirts from all these sites !

Notice you have to erase the pictures from your sd camera card. Because dealing with each event, each book, one at a time will make the task managable and fun !

Have fun creating memories today!