Posts Tagged ‘kids’

Spring is in the Air.
I can see it.
I can feel it.
I can smell it.

Another tell tale sign is the absence of my son's bike from the garage.

And they're off....

From the time he gets home from school right up until dinner time, he's off and running.
And even then, he's only home long enough to wolf down some dinner.
Then he's off again...exploring, visiting, playing, running, laughing.

He's carefree and so full of life.

I'm glad he's out there. I'd rather he be out there playing basketball, biking, playing hide and seek until dusk and hanging out with his pals than be indoors glued to the TV or video games.

He shoots, he scores

I really would.

But sometimes I worry.

About him. About others. About his safety.

I don't want him to fear the world.
I don't want to shelter him.
I want him out there lovin' every minute of being a "big" kid.

To ensure his safety and for my piece of mind, some ground rules needed to be set.
We sat down one evening and came up with this list.

1. Always hang with a buddy. Never roam alone.
2. Come home at the arranged time.
3. Only go where we discussed.
4. Be aware of your surroundings.
5. Don't take the path less travelled. Always use the main roads.

He's at a wonderful stage in his life.
He's exploring his independence as he heads into adolescence.
But right now, he's still a kid.
My kid...and I need to keep him safe.

Picture this...
It's a busy Saturday morning.
We have a million and one chores to do.
It's frantic in my household.
Oblivious to the overwhelming tasks at hand, my little one asks "You wanna play with me, mommy?"
"Oh sweetie, I can't, mommy's busy right now."
She heads over to her father "You wanna play a game?"
"Not right now, Daddy's busy"
She heads downstairs and asks her brother and sister the same thing.
Again, the same response.

A few minutes later, she comes back upstairs
hands me a note
grabs a melon from the kitchen counter
heads into the washroom
and closes the door.

Perplexed, I read the note...

No won wonts to play with me. I am movin.

She's moving?

....to the washroom?

Seriously?

Oh well, at least she thought through the food and shelter situation.

It's been over a decade since I've had a proper vacation.  I think people were still able to smoke on planes back then.

(Are you guessing my age now?)

Just someplace where you sit back, sip your Strawberry Margarita, feel the sun, smell the salt water, and where your mind just floats.  Just the melting ice cubes in your drink.

BUT, the very thought of travelling outside of Canada with my children scares me.

What if they get sick?

That is something I can't control...but only prepare for.  Preparation helps me minimize my stress. It makes me feel stronger.

First and foremost, make sure your child has their identification papers in order. Passport photos can be challenging especially with the photo restrictions - check with Passport Canada.  After several attempts, I convinced my son that the photo was for his bicycle licence. So he had to keep his mouth shut, no smiling, look straight into the camera and not move.  Otherwise, he couldn't ride his bike without his licence.  Well, it worked.  I even took it to another level, and mailed him out a letter of congratulations with a mock up license - cut to size.  Just like mine.

Make sure your children's medical vaccinations are up to date.  Check with your doctor if you or your child needs any additional vaccinations because of where you're travelling.

Bring your own "Medical Kit" with your children's familiar brand medications and comfort toys.  Also include sunscreen, topical antibiotic, pain relievers, bandaids.

Purchase Medical Insurance - buy the best you can afford.  Read the fine print on the policies. Hopefully, you'll never use it, but if you do, you want to know what you're covered for.

A few little extra precautions can eliminate a lot of headaches.

Keeping kids entertained isn't so hard!

If you have kids, grandkids or nieces and nephews, you no doubt know that they're off for the summer. You are also expecting to hear at any given moment: "I'm bored!". Now's the time to take the child in your life by the hand, and foster a love of nature in them. Here are some ways to get your kids outside - and enjoying every second of it:

• head to a farm and pick strawberries or blueberries

• take them to a butterfly conservatory

• go to a park with a pair of binoculars and look for birds

• plan a weekend camping trip (learn about being a green camper here!)

• take them for a hike

• teach them about local plants and bring them to a park and help them identify some of the more common ones (the same can be done with animals)

• The Perseids Meteor Shower takes place in August, so grab a blanket and some refreshments and spend some time watching our aw-inspiring sky

How do you keep the kid in your life entertained all summer long?

Need some more ideas? Check out our article 30 fun things to do with your kids this summer for more great ideas.

Don't forget to enter my President’s Choice Green Stow Away Shopping Bag contest!

Is a child in your life making an effort to go green? If so, encourage them to enter the Sunlight Green Clean Kid contest. Starting June 15, 2009, kids can apply for the opportunity to be a Sunlight Green Clean Kid – one of a group of 10 kids dedicated to help develop ongoing eco-programs that encourage and inspire other kids to go green.

Kids between the ages of six and 13 can submit a 150-word essay about how they're helping preserve the environment or inspiring others to go green. Eco-experts will review the submissions and pick 10 kids from across the country to be a part of the Sunlight Green Clean Kids. Each kid will receive a $2,000 honourarium and an opportunity to develop national environmental programs for other children.

Submission deadline is July 24, 2009. To download the application and learn about submissions rules, visit www.sunlightgreencleankids.ca.

What's the most valuable green lesson you've taught someone in your life? Leave a reply here by Friday, July 10 and you could win a:

I love PC Green - affordable AND eco-friendly.

President’s Choice Green Stow Away Shopping Bag overflowing with PC GREEN products. That's right! I have another one to give away. Your stylish new shopping bag (with wheels!) contains:

• 8 jumbo rolls of PC Green paper towels
• 1 kg box of PC Green Baking Soda
• PC Green All Purpose Cleaner
• PC Green Coldwater Laundry Detergent
• PC Green Phosphate-free Dishwasher Detergent
• PC Green Floor Cleaner
• PC Green Multi-Purpose Cleaning Putty

Don’t forget, you have to be a subscriber to my blog to be eligible to win. Subscribe today!

I just read about Wild Dill on the blog Green Your Decor and thought I'd share the information with you. Wild Dill is an online store specializing in fair trade, sweatshop-free, natural and/or recycled product for your tots. They have really cute products - ranging from clothing to bedding to organic art kits.

My favourite item is the Roebuck Studio Chick Chair. It is made from local Baltic birch plywood, is painted with water based non-toxic paint and is complete with rounded edges for your child's safety.

I wish it came in a bigger size!

Read more:
• Raise your baby the eco-friendly way
• How to have a green baby
• Guide to organic and eco-friendly bedding